Think You Can Make The Shot?
by Hxnim Nxtra
Summary: Team RWBY is battling the Nevermore, but can Weiss really make the shot?. Here's my take on what could have happened. Completed with bonus JNPR at the end.
1. Chapter 1

**First attempt, so don't be too hard on me. I think this is going to be a simple one-shot. I don't own anything.**

The Nevermore screeched and flung its feathers down on its attackers. The spearlike projectiles zip straight towards Ruby, who was currently focusing her mind elsewhere. Just as they were about to impale the girl, fire dust sped towards the feathers. The dust exploded, changing the trajectory of the feathers and making them miss their intended target.

Weiss sighed a breathe of relief. "I know she said to cover her, but what is she doing?" muttered the heiress as she watched her partner run towards Blake. The two of them stood there discussing for moments before the ninja girl ran off and Ruby comes back to Weiss.

"Care to enlighten me on this plan now?" questioned Weiss as Ruby got closer.

"We're going to beat this bird." stated Ruby proudly.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Well, we can use Blake's weapon and those two pillars over there as a slingshot to fire at the Nevermore."

"And what do you propose we fire at the beast?"

"Me." Weiss stared dumbfounded at her partner's response. 'Is this dolt actually insane!? Wait, calm down Weiss, she probably has an explanation.' Weiss regained her composure and allowed Ruby to elaborate.

"I'll get fired from the slingshot which might give me enough momentum to slice the bird's head clean off."

'Just go along with it Weiss, she's going to be your partner for the next four years. Just play along.' Weiss exhaled and then asked. "What do you need me to do?"

"For a clean shot, we need to get the Nevermore over to this cliff. Then keep it still long enough to get the slingshot ready."

"I should be able to do the second part with some ice dust. Though the first part, not so much." Weiss considered ways to get the beast closer to the cliff. 'I could try to draw its attention towards me somehow, but how am I going to do that?' While still deep in thought, Ruby taps on the Weiss' shoulder.

"I think my sister has that covered." Ruby pointed towards the blonde brawler as she fired rounds at the bird. All the shots seem to be shrugged off by the great Grimm. Then, by a stroke of luck, one shot landed in the Nevermore's eye. The bird screeched turning to its assailant and charged. Weiss saw the girl jump from her perch as well as the Nevermore as it opened its beak.

'She's going to get devoured!' Just then, the heiress noticed the blonde holding the monster's beak open firing shots into its throat. The assault distracted the bird, causing it to barrel forward into the cliff. Right before the collision Yang flipped from the Grimm's beak and landed smoothly on the ground.

Ruby watched the scene go down and called out. "Good job sis. Now Weiss it's your turn."

Yang paused, trying to get a hold of the situation. The brawler saw her sister standing in between two ruined columns and her partner standing on one of the pillars. Weiss, who was quickly rushing towards Yang, quickly yelled "Ruby. Slingshot." Yang nodded, and she ran past Weiss. Weiss saw that the bird was barely shaken from the impact with the cliff. It screeched as it was about to take off into the skies once again. Weiss frantically activated the ice dust and catching some of the Nevermore's tail feathers.

'This should hold it down for long enough.' Weiss used a glyph to jump back and then retreated towards the rest of the huntresses-in-training. Blake and Yang had set up the slingshot from Blake's Kurasami

Weiss placed a glyph at her feet and jumped back. Then she ran to where Ruby was positioned. Blake and Yang had set up the slingshot and Ruby shot herself so her scythe sat snug in. Weiss setup a glyph which held the slingshot taunt and ready to fire.

"Of course, you would come up with this idea." commented Weiss.

"Think you can make the shot?" challenged Ruby.

"Hmph, Can I?" smirked Weiss. 'This will be a piece of cake'

Ruby blinded and turned towards Weiss worried. "Can't-"

"Of course I can!" yelled Weiss . 'Does she even know what sarcasm is?'

With a smirk, Ruby turned towards the bird and reloaded her scythe.

Seconds before Weiss was about to release the glyph, she stopped. She looked at the red hooded girl to her side ready to decapitate a Nevermore. 'Can I really make this shot?'

The heiress shook her head casting the thought aside. 'I can do this.' Once again focused on the task at hand, heiress twirled Myrtenaster and the black glyph that was holding the hooded girl down shifted red. Ruby had simultaneously fired her rifle and activated her semblance causing her to fly at the Grimm, leaving a storm of rose petals in her wake.

And then everything when horribly wrong.

The ice cracked and with a simple lunge, the Nevermore broke free charging at Ruby.

Ruby saw as the bird charged towards her. Desperate to get out of the way, Ruby angled her scythe to shoot above her, trying to get underneath the bird. Weiss saw what was happening at once and fired a glyph underneath Ruby to use as a step.

Ruby fired her scythe again in attempt to strike the Nevermore once again. However, the Nevermore was faster and ready for the young huntress. The beast countered the assault by lowered its beak at the young huntress in aim to pierce through her.

Ruby, not anticipating the Nevermore's actions, desperately tried to guard with her scythe, but the bird's beak was already too close to the girl. She used her aura as a last resort in defending from the blow, but to no avail. The Nevermore stabbed the girl clean through the stomach.

Blood gushed from the newly made wound. The girl gasped, releasing Crescent Rose as she struggled to push the bird's beak out of her body.

Weiss watched in horror with the headmaster's words echoing through her mind. _Do no hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die._

"RUUUUUBBBY!" Yang screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight of her sister being impaled. The brawler's eyes blazed red and with a burst from her gauntlets she rushed towards the beast that dared to harm her sister. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Yang bashed the Grimm into the side of the cliff. The injured girl slid from the monster's beak and fell. Enraged, Yang began to sent a flurry of punches at the Nevermore's skull. The repeated blows started to give way and the Nevermore's mask shattered. But the brawler continued to punch at the beast. Blood splashed the surroundings as Yang continued to maul the disintegrating Nevermore.

Breathing heavy, Yang landed on a part of the ruins watching as what was left of the Nevermore's husk slowly disintegrate. "Eat that you monster!" growled Yang.

Released from her rage, Yang remembered her sister. "Ruby! Where is she?!" the huntress frantically looked for her dear sister.

Blake approached Yang with solemn eyes. "I'm sorry Yang, but after you freed her, she fell down there." Blake pointed at the misty gloomy below. "We tried to reach her, but we didn't make it. I'm sorry."

Yang stood there, eyes wide as she took in the information. "Y-You're kidding, right?" She was answered by the black and white pair lowered their heads.

Yang began to laugh. Slowly and quietly at first, only to get louder and faster until she began to laugh out hysterically. She collapsed, trying to make sense of what happened. "Y-You're saying she's gone? My baby sister is gone?"

"Yang" began Blake soothingly.

"Cut the crap!" Yang grabbed Blake and shoved her to a nearby pillar. Tears staining her face. "She was only fifteen. FIFTEEN! She had her entire life ahead of her and you're telling me she's GONE!?"

"Yang, calm down." begged Weiss.

"Calm down?!" Yang jerked her head towards the heiress. "How can I calm down, when my sister just got attacked?" Yang released the faunus girl and approached the edge of the ruins. "I'm going after her."

With those words, Yang jumped.

Blake ran towards the edge and threw her Gambol Shroud down. The weapon shot down and wrapped around the brawler's waist and arms. Holding her suspended in midair.

"LET ME GO!" screamed Yang. She thrashed against the ribbon, desperately trying to free herself from its bindings. "I HAVE TO SAVE MY SISTER!"

Blake pulled the ribbon up throwing Yang back on solid ground.

"You idiot! If you had went down there, you would have died!" scolded the heiress.

"Shut up, let me go!" Yang continued to flail around. "My sister is down there injured, how could I not try and save her!"

"Yang, you need to calm down. If you go down there you're only asking for death." reasoned Blake.

"No, I need to go down there!" shouted Yang. "I need to go down there." Yang quieted down as tears rolled down her face. "My baby sister needs me. I need to save her."

"I know Yang, but there isn't anything we can do. There are monsters down there that would rip us to shreds. We need more experienced hunters to go down there."

"O-okay." accepted Yang. Blake untied the blonde and helped her get up. "Now let's go get some reinforcements."

Blake and Yang went through the ruin opening located at the base of the cliff. Weiss looked around her, recalling the events that has just transpired. 'I hesitated. And it got one of us killed. What have I done.'

As she lamented over her failure, she saw her partner's scythe laying on the ground. The huntress quickly grabbed it and followed the pair that had went before her. Looking back at the battlefield Weiss thought. 'I'm sorry Ruby. It's my fault that this happened. I'll find you.'


	2. Chapter 2

**I couldn't leave where I had left off on the last chapter. So I squeezed this out.**

Headmaster Ozpin looked at his scroll watching as the new students fought against Grimm on their way back to Beacon. He watched as a group of four students fought against a Deathstalker.

"My my, it seems we have plenty of capable groups on our hands." commented the headmaster to his assistant Glynda. Glynda nodded looking as an Amazonian threw her shield, slicing the Deathstalker's stinger off from its tail only to impale itself.

"Yes we do." The huntress moved towards the Ozpin, changing the camera angle to focus on the boy in white with a shield a sword. "All except this Jaune fellow. As I have said before, I don't believe he is ready for this level of combat."

Ozpin sipped from his mug deep in thought. "Frankly, I think he is quite capable. Yes, his physical aptitude leaves much to be desired. But he has the potential to be a strategist."

The teacher looked at with knowing eyes. "Ozpin, surely you aren't suggesting that the boy should be team leader."

Ozpin said nothing talking another sip of drink as the current group-to-be finished off the Deathstalker making it safely on the other side of the ruins.

"Ozpin, I think you're making a mistake on this. Pyrrha is obviously more qualified to be in such a position." reasoned Glynda.

"Glynda," began Ozpin. "I have made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this earth. But I believe this is the right choice. Though Pyrrha maybe a strong warrior. That doesn't mean she will be a strong leader. Arc has shown the ability to lead others in difficult situations. So, it is only natural that I would appoint him as team leader."

Glynda only scoffed and rolled her eyes. She flicked through the video feeds until she reach a group of four boys who had reached the academy with pieces in their hands. "Understood, now about that team before them."

"Ah yes, these boys." recalled the headmaster. "They did show an exemplary display of strength, but they are quite lacking in other departments."

"Yes, so what about their leader and team name?" inquired Glynda. "Do you have anything in mind?"

Ozpin took another sip from his mug. "Hmm, an R, L, D, and a C. They're names are all coincidentally bird themed. Why not go with CRDL for Cardinal. As for the leader. The Winchester boy seems big and powerful. So he'll be team leader."

Glynda facepalmed and muttered to herself. "Even though he is he is one of the strongest hunters in the realm, his naming sense really has much to be desired. And then there is his choice in leaders."

"Oh, and for the four students we were discussing earlier. I think JNPR for juniper would work well."

"Where does that even come from?!" exasperated Glynda as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well, we have Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. If you take their names in this order, you can form the word juniper phonetically." explained Ozpin. "Also juniper berries are blue. And I'm all for Team Blue."

"Why did I even bother to ask." Glynda looked down at her scroll flipping through different video feeds of students making their way towards the checkpoint. "Oh dear, you might want to look at this."

Ozpin looked at his scroll. Seeing a young girl he had recommended himself being impaled by a Nevermore. Ozpin could not contain the flicker of emotion that showed on his face as he watched the little scythe wielder's sister retaliate against the giant Grimm. Fear, surprise and, most of all, worry dance across his eyes as he watched. However, being a headmaster, he reined in his emotions.

"It appears that we should head down to the checkpoint to look at their condition." Ozpin began walking away from the cliff. "Glynda, gather some of the teachers and inform them that we will be looking for Ms. Rose."

"Of course" Glynda began contacting teachers and informing them of the situation.

Ozpin could only walk towards where the three huntresses would be waiting. 'I dearly hope that she is okay.'

"We made it." breathed Blake. The trio had gotten back to the top of the cliff where they were suppose to meet up. There were already teams sitting around receiving first-aid and chatting idly.

"Ugh, how does she carry this thing?" complained Weiss as she dropped the enormous scythe on the ground. As the three had made their way up the cliff, The heiress found it extremely difficult to carry the weapon. 'It's so big and impractical. How does that girl use this oversized gardening tool?'

Blake walked Yang over to a bed and let her lay there. "We made it Yang, everything is going to be find." soothed Blake. As they had walked up the path, Blake offered as many kind words she could for the brawler.

Once Yang was set down, Blake was about to head over to Weiss when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Don't go." Yang whispered. "I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you Ruby, don't leave me." Tears began running down her face anew. Blake smiled softly she held Yang's hand and held the girl. "Okay, I won't leave. I'll be right here."

Yang could only weep quietly every once in awhile she would murmur. "I'm sorry Ruby."

Blake called to Weiss. "Can you go get one of the professors to go and look for Ruby. Even though I'm not very confident that they'll find her, it's only right that we try." Weiss nodded ready to find a professor, when someone spoke.

"That won't be necessary, I have already sent a group of teachers down to the Abyss to look for Ms. Rose." Blake and Weiss looked to see the headmaster standing before them.

"Thank you Professor Ozpin." said Blake. Ozpin shook his head. "No, this is the least we could do. Though I am a little worried."

"Why would you be worried?" questioned Weiss.

"It turns out that the area Ms. Rose entered is known as the Abyss. Down there, the strongest and most dangerous Grimm lurk. Even I would not make it out of there unscathed."

Weiss listened in horror. 'I caused my partner to fall in such a place!?'

"Worry not, we will do our absolute best to find her. Though it might not be an appropriate time to say this, congratulations on making it through initiation." Ozpin headed out with a group of instructors ready to find the missing huntress.

The three girls were left in silence. Weiss looked towards Blake. "I'm going to go and clear my head." Blake nodded and watched as the heiress sat down on looked out on the clearing. Weiss had so many thoughts running through their head.

'I hesitated for just a second and that may have costed my partner's life. It's my fault that she got hurt. I couldn't make the shot. I failed my partner. I'm to blame for this.'

As the heiress brooded, Team JNPR approached Blake and Yang. "We saw what happened. Is everything alright?" worried Pyrrha.

"For now, I think we'll manage." answered Blake quietly as to not disturb Yang who had fallen asleep in her arms.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" offered Jaune. "I'm sure it must be tough to have to see that."

"I'm fine, but I think these two have it pretty rough." Blake gestured to the girl clinging to her and the one sitting off in the distance alone. "I think what they need right now is some time to heal."

"Understood, only let's give them some time to themselves." Team JNPR gave their farewell and left Blake and Yang.

"Oh Ruby," sighed Blake. "I hope you are alright."

 **So, I managed to make another chapter. Let's see how far I can take this. Don't expect regular updates. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I didn't expect to have this written so fast. Oh well, enjoy!**

The gloom of the Abyss hung overhead. The veil of fog making the mid-afternoon sky as dark as night. No plants grew in the rough rocky terrain. The group of instructors had lanterns in hand, casting long shadows. The sound of Grimm at every corner. Attracted by the presence of humans.

The squad of hunters had been searching for hours now. They had started by pinpointing where the girl would have fallen and spread out from there. As the search pressed on they were forced to postpone the team naming ceremony to later that day.

Ozpin breathed out a heavy sigh. "It seems the Grimm have become rather bold." He loosened his arm. "It's been quite some time since I've done this much work. I might be losing my touch."

Professor Port laughed. "Hah hah, you say that you've lost your touch, but it seems that you are still quite the monster."

The headmaster looked behind him. True to the professor's words, Grimm of all sizes lay on the sides of a clean path leading right towards the headmaster.

"Fair enough. Now let's continue searching." The two hunters split up to cover more ground.

Having going quite a distance the headmaster looked at his scroll. They have covered a large perimeter surrounding where Ruby must have fallen. But they had yet to find a clue that she even landed in the Abyss.

Ozpin began contacting the other instructors through his scroll. "It has gotten quite late, we should begin heading back. We've postpone the initiation ceremony long enough. Once the initiation ceremony is finished we will continue the search." The group agreed and began heading back.

As Ozpin was turned around he heard a growl. Looking back he saw a large Alpha Beowolf. The numerous bony spikes protruding from its back showed the beast's age. It slowly creep towards the headmaster. The headmaster took up a stance ready to engage the monster.

However, the beast did not charge. It watched the hunter almost curiously. After a few seconds of intense staring, the Grimm left. Ozpin relaxed slightly. Watching the Beowolf trod off in some direction. Just then something caught the headmaster's eye.

A flash of red dangling on a rocky formation.

The headmaster examined the red closer. Revealing the remains of a red cape. "Oh no," Ozpin's face once again showing his emotion as he picked the fabric. Large parallel slash marks cutting across the fabric and there was splotches of dried blood matching where the poor girl had been injured. Ozpin scanned the the surrounding and sure enough found a trail of blood near some bullet cartridges.

Ozpin looked for more clues, but the trail of blood ended mysteriously. With no more clues to go on. Ozpin marked the location on his scroll and tucked the red fabric safely away. He headed back to the academy. 'The situation seems quite grim. Hopefully the girl is alright.'

Back at the academy, the students were waiting in the large auditorium. They had found out that the relics they had chosen determined their group of four. The groups conversed idly, trying to get to know each other better, as they waited for the ceremony to start. All except a trio in white, black and yellow sitting amongst the older students. They were told not to participate in the ceremony as the fourth member of their team was missing in action.

Yang's condition had improved immensely after hearing the news that the professors had gone out to search for her sister. However, she couldn't help feel worried. Blake had continued to soothe the girl. Weiss quietly watched the ceremony. Trying to rid herself of the horrific scene that transpired earlier that day.

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark." called Ozpin. "The four of you four retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team CRDL lead by Cardin Winchester." the crowd clapped and cheered for another team that had made it through.

"And finally, Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you have retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you four will work together as team JNPR." Nora giggled as she embraced Ren. "Lead by Jaune Arc."

Jaune looked shocked. "Huh, lead by?" Pyrrha looked at her partner with pride. Punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Congratulations young man." spoke the headmaster as he watched Glynda shake her head in disapproval as the boy fell over from the playful hit.

"This concludes the initiation ceremony. As a reminder, classes begin tomorrow, so rest well. And once again, welcome to Beacon." Students began to head to their dorm rooms to turn in for the night. However, the trio of Yang, Blake and Weiss headed to the headmaster's office to meet with him about their initiation and more importantly about Ruby.

Ozpin watched as the elevator door opened. In walked Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. He saw that they were faring far better when he had last seen them that afternoon. They sat down on the chairs across from Ozpin. The gears beneathe them ticking as the sat quietly.

Yang was the first to break the silence. "Professor, about Ru-"

The professor held up his hand. "I'm sure you are worried about your sister." Ozpin sighed as he knew he was about to crush the worried girl's heart. "And I'm sorry."

Weiss lowered her head. Blake held a hand up to her mouth. Yang blinked confused. "W-what are you saying?" hesitated Yang. "Why are you apologizing? You found my sister, didn't you?"

Ozpin did not dare to look away from the girls. He simply kept his silence. "D-didn't you?" Ozpin watched as the blonde began to tremble. Blake held Yang's hand in attempt to console her. The headmaster continued to hold his silence.

"DIDN'T YOU!" yelled Yang standing up as she slammed her fist down on the desk separating the students and the headmaster. Ozpin watched her fiery eyes began to water as she knew the answer. Blake helped the girl sit back down.

Ozpin pulled out the red cape he found earlier and set it down on the table. "When I was searching for Ms. Rose I found this."

The trios eyes go wide. Yang hesitantly moves a shaking hand closer to the fabric. Afraid of touching it like a plague. Once she touches it, she unfolds it revealing the blood stain and slash marks.

Weiss looks away holding her combat skirt so tight that her knuckles are white.

"Oh my Oum," murmurs Blake in shock.

"R-ruby," weeps Yang as she buries her face in the cloth. Blake looks at the professor. "Is this all you found?"

Ozpin nods. "We have yet to locate Ms. Rose herself. At best she is alright, at worst..." the headmaster doesn't finish.

After crying many tears, Yang has relaxed enough to continue the discussion. "What are we going to do?"

Ozpin answers. "Under these circumstances, I believe I should allow you three to continue on as a group together. Ms. Rose is still part of your team, so from this day forth you will work together as team BWYR (Brier). Lead by Blake."

Blake acknowledged her appointment. "You will go about your school days as normal as possible. I will go out and continue searching for Ms. Rose. I will update you with any new information. I bid you all good night. You are dismissed."

The three girls stood up. And slowly walked towards the elevator door. Ozpin allowed Yang to keep the red cape. Just as the we're about to enter Ozpin called out to them. "Don't worry, I will do my absolute best to find her.' The girls nodded as the door closed in front of them.

With the girls gone, Ozpin slumped down in his chair. He realized that he hadn't drunk from his mug since he watched the incident with Ruby unfold. He had scouted the girl after she showed so much promise and potential. Now that same girl was missing deep within the Abyss.

Ozpin looked up at the fractured moon. "Oh great Monty Oum, watch over that girl and keep her safe."

The girls had walked into their dorm room silent. They looked at the four beds place in the room thinking about how the fourth bed may stay vacant forever. So late in the night, they simply changed into their nightwear and hoped that sleep came to them.

Weiss tossed and turned in bed. Reliving the fateful events in her dreams. 'I could have saved her. If only I hadn't paused. If only I had confidence in myself. None of this would have happened.' Unable to bear watching the scene again she opened her eyes.

The night was cold. The heiress wrapped her sheet around her, trying to keep whatever warmth she had in her body. She looked at her other two teammates. Blake had taken the far bed along the wall. Her breathe steady and relaxed.

Yang was a different story.

She had taken to sleeping with her sister's cape like a comfort object. But even with a memento of her sister, the brawler struggled to find sleep. Sweat beaded her face, her eyes furrowed in frustration. She repositioned herself every other second, but her death grip on the red fabric was unchanged.

Weiss watched the girl suffering in her sleep. She decided to quietly move towards the girl. "Yang" she whispered. "Hey, Yang."

The brawler furrowed her brows deeper at the sound of her name. Unsatisfied with the response, Weiss gently shook the brawler's shoulder. "Get up you dolt."

The blonde opened her eyes. She got into a sitting position holding a hand to her head. "It was all a bad dream." Yang said reassuring herself. But then she looked at cloth that lay in her other hand. Cupping it carefully, she pulled it into her chest. Tears dropped from her face as she cried softly.

Weiss rubbed her back. "It will be okay. I'm sure that dunce made it through somehow. I bet she's just biding her time. She'll come back to us." Yang looked up to the heiress. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm not, but there is always hope." reasoned Weiss. "Try to get some sleep, we still have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Yang nodded as she rested her head against her pillow. Stroking the red fabric she whispered. "Don't worry little sis, I'll find you. Then everything will be okay again."

Weiss crawled back into her own bed. And she looked, seeing the empty bed besides her she grit her teeth in distaste. 'I may have failed you before, but that just means I need to get better and stronger. We will meet again, count on it Ruby Rose.' With her resolve firm the heiress fell asleep.

With both of the others soundly asleep, Blake rose from her bed. She had seen the little episode her teammates had. 'It's so hard to lose something so close to you isn't it.' She remembered all her friends, her colleagues, her partner. And how she left them, to live a different life. 'It's this what you went through when I left?'

The faunus got up and walked towards the window. The moon beating down as it looked so broken. She remembered a tale someone had told her about the moon.

 _Long ago, they said the moon was a goddess who loved to dance with the stars and illuminate the night. Once, man fell in love with the moon. He would try to send his love to the moon, but his control was too poor. Desperate to send his affection to the one he loved, he hired a hunter. The hunter was the brother to the moon and said to be able to shoot an arrow that could pierce the heavens. The man asked for the hunter to attach a love letter to his arrow and send it to the moon. The hunter agreed. With bow in hand he readied the arrow. He released the arrow and it soar through the sky. The goddess received the letter graciously. Pleased with the affection. Eager to send more affection the man asked the hunter to send his arrow to the moon once again. But the hunter refused. To send an arrow to the heavens was taxing and he needed time to rest. Impatient, the man grabbed the hunter's bow and arrow. Notching an arrow he set his sights on his beloved. The arrow was sent flying, but this time the goddess did not receive the arrow. It's strength too great. The arrow pierced the moon. And so it cracked giving way to the broken face of the moon. Horrified with what he had done the man killed himself. The hunter also broken hearted disappeared in grief of the fate of his sister._

Blake looked down at her teammates. 'This situation is somewhat similar. Though the moon and the man aren't in love.' She looked back at the moon. 'And though the story didn't end so well, I have to do my best to make sure this story does.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, got another chapter for you. It's actually a little long this time around...oh well. Oh! And before I forget. As a reminder, team RWBY has been changed to BWYR (Brier) so don't get confused when you see it. Enjoy!**

The morning sun peeked over the horizon. The light splashed over Beacon academy. The noise and cheer of yesterday's events no longer ringing. All was silent. All lay still.

But not all were asleep.

Yang stared lazily at the unchanging ceiling. Even with all the comfort she received yesterday, she had hardly slept. How could she? Knowing that her sister was out there injured and probably alone. Or maybe even dead. The mere thought made her restless.

She glanced over at the clock. '5:00 AM huh, well I guess I'll just get up now.' The blonde kicked her feet off the bed. She set the memento from her sister at the foot of the bed. She got a change of clothes, a towel, and a multitude of hair products from her luggage. Then she headed to the bathroom.

Looking in, she saw what she was expecting. It was a small room painted ice blue. Though there wasn't much space, it still contained a sink, toilet and shower. Just as she was about to take off her clothes she looked up. That's when she saw someone.

The person in front of her was having a dreadful morning. Her eyes were red and puffy, most likely from tears the day before. There was a mess of tangled yellow attached to her head that must have once been hair. Her shoulders slumped over expressing a lack of sleep. As Yang took a double take on the figure, she realized:

She was staring at her reflection.

'This is me?' Yang brought a hand up to her face. Yang didn't expect the shock of missing Ruby to cause this sort of impact. There have been many instances when the two sisters weren't together. 'But this time we might never see each other again.' She shook her head. "No, mustn't think bad thoughts! I'll feel better after a shower.' So she got started. Taking off all her clothes and turning on the water. As she stepped it, the water was ice cold. But she didn't care, she needed to get her mind off of things.

She let the cold water spray down on her. She found it soothing, as though it was clearing away all her weariness. She smiled softly as the water continued to gently kiss her body. She picked up a nearby shampoo bottle. She squeezed the content onto her hand and lightly massaged the liquid into her hair. As she looked at her hands she froze. She hadn't noticed until just then.

The color of the shampoo was blood red.

She watched as the water slowly washed the crimson bubbles down her body. She remembered the color. She remembered seeing it on her sister. All because she couldn't protect her little sister.

" _Why didn't you save me?_ "

Yang turned. 'No, it can't be.' Before her stood the one person that she thought was gone forever. "R-Ruby?" Yang slowly brought a hand closer to her sister. But just as they were about to touch, Ruby spoke.

" _You said you would always with me. Why did you leave me?_ "

Yang flinched at the harsh words. She drew her hand back and lowered her head. "You're right, I did promise that we would always be together. I'm sorry Ruby, will you forgive me."

" _Of course_ " cheered the scythe user. " _I'll forgive you._ "

Yang looked up relieved by the words, when the brawler noticed something. Ruby's eyes were a dull grey, unlike the brilliant silver they usually had. Her skin akin to a ghost. The most frightening fact was she seemed okay with a gaping hole at her center. Yang's eyes widened as she understood the truth. The person before her wasn't Ruby. "W-Who are you?"

The person cracked a devilish smile. " _Oh sis, can't you tell?_ " The brunette took a step closer. " _It's me, Ruby?_ " The imposter continued to advance.

Yang took a step back. "N-No, you aren't my sister!" The blonde jumped as she felt the cold wall touching her back. Her knees gave out from under her as she fell. The fake loomed over the brawler. Her smile ever so demonic.

"What do you want from me?" demanded Yang. The imposter's expression changed. A sweet grin replaced the evil look from before.

" _Oh Yang, it's simple._ " cheerfully sang the lookalike. " _I just want you to be with me._ "

"H-How can I do that?" Ruby leaned in close. Yang felt the girl's breath tickling her ear as she whispered.

" _Won't you come to where I am._ " Yang wanted to push the fake away, but her arms wouldn't budge.

"W-Where are you?" whispered Yang hoping that her guess wasn't right.

" _Oh you know,_ " casually teased the imposter. " _I came from the other side. And I'm here to bring you there with me._ "

She finally understood. The reason she looked the way she did. Why she was talking in as she did. The person in front of her wasn't a fake. She was something more.

It was Ruby's ghost.

And Ruby was trying to kill her.

Yang tried to scream for help, but she couldn't find the air to speak. Yang felt cold hands slowly choking the air out of her system. She tried to breathe, but with no luck. 'This is it. My sister is going to kill me. It's all over.' Just as Yang's vision was blurring black she heard a small voice.

"Yang,"

Yang tried to find who and where the voice was coming from.

"Yang!"

Yang felt firm hands touching her shoulders.

"YANG!"

The brawler opened her eyes. In front of her was her partner. She was still in her black nightgown. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "Oh Yang!" The faunus threw her arms around Yang. "Thank Oum, you're alright. I thought you were death."

Yang patted the girl's back. She found the situation strange since the two of them were still in the shower. To her relieve the water was turned off and a towel was wrapped around her. And then she remembered.

Ruby's spirit.

Yang pushed Blake to an arms distance. "Blake, when you found me, did you see anyone else?"

"No I didn't. I heard a loud sound coming from the bathroom." Blake explained while wiping the tears out of her eyes. "When I opened the door I found you lying on the ground and not moving. I tried calling you, but you wouldn't answer. What happened?"

"I-I think I saw Ruby's ghost." Blake noticed the fear in Yang's eyes and allowed her to elaborate. "I was taking my shower when I turned to see Ruby, but it wasn't her. It was her spirit. She said she wanted me to be with her. She tried to kill me."

"Don't worry Yang it was all a bad dream." Blake brought a hand close to Yang. Only to be swatted away.

"You don't understand!" shouted Yang. "My sister is coming to take my life. Because I couldn't act like a sister. She hates me!" The blonde curled up into a ball while hiding her face behind her hands.

"Yang!" Blake grabbed Yang's hands, looking her dead in the eye. "Your sister doesn't hate you. I'm sure she loves you as much as you love her. She might not be with us right now, but she is alive. She'll come back to us."

Yang was too much of a mess to find the words to respond. She simply nodded.

"Come on, you've been in the shower long enough. I'll make you some tea, it'll help wake you up." Blake got up and left. Letting her get some clothes on. While the girl was changing, Blake got out her tea making equipment.

Luckily, she had packed a water boiler so getting hot water wasn't a problem. She scooped out some tea leaves and put them into her tea pot. Once the water was boiling. She poured the water into the pot and put a lid over it. She hummed quietly as the tea began to brew. When it was finished, she poured out the black tea into three cups. Slowly, the aroma permeated through the air giving a sweet fragrance.

"Don't tell me you're honestly making that horrid leaf water stuff?"

Blake looked for the person who would say such things about tea. Tea was her favorite drink in the world and she wouldn't stand to have it insulted. Her eyes finally set on Weiss, who was now sitting on her bed. She rubbed her eyes as she looked at Blake. "I thought you had more tact that to drink that stuff."

"Oh, what would you recommend then?" challenged Blake. "Don't tell me you hail from the coffee clan."

"And what if I am?" questioned Weiss. "It's better than that poor excuse of a drink you're making."

"Oh really?" Blake set her tea pot down. "I find it hard to believe that an heiress such as yourself would be ingesting sludge on a daily basis."

"Excuse me?" Weiss stood up. "For your information, coffee is not sludge. It is an exquisite drink drunk by the finest."

"As if." scoffed Blake. "Tea is much more popular. Ever heard of 'tea time'?"

"Of course I have, but you forget that coffee is the lifeblood to the people. In the morning when you wake up do you think of getting a cup of tea? No! You think about getting a cup of coffee. Even Professor Ozpin drinks it."

"Oh, so now we're bring other people into this!"

"Um, are you two done yet?" They broke their gaze to see Yang sipping at a cup of tea.

Blake smirked. "Look, Yang is drinking tea. That means we're two for tea and one for coffee. Seems like tea wins."

Weiss looked hurt, but continued to stand her ground. "Yang is probably drinking it out of consideration. I bet she drinks coffee more often."

Yang remembered seeing kind of battle with Ruby and her dad. "Um, actually I'm more of an orange juice kind of-"

"Even if she is doing it to be nice she is still drinking it." pointed out Blake. "You wouldn't catch me drinking coffee if it's the last thing I do!"

"I'm not making you drink coffee I'm just telling you how good it is. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll start making a cup for myself."

"I forbid you from making coffee in this room." declared Blake.

"What right do you have to tell me what to do?" questioned Weiss

"Last time I checked Ozpin said I was team leader. As team leader, I say no coffee in this room."

"How dare you abuse your position!"

"You'll just have to deal with it."

The two glared at each other on the verge of fighting. Yang, finished with her cup of tea went back into the bathroom. She did not want to be there when the gloves come off.

Weiss gritted her teeth, but then sighed. It was beneath her to let her emotions take control. "Fine, you can have your cup of tea." Blake cheered victorious. "Hahaha, I am victorious."

Weiss lowered her head as she wouldn't be able to have the convenience of making her own coffee. Blake picked up on this. "I guess I was a little rash earlier. You're free to make coffee as you please."

Weiss lit up and brought out her supplies. She quickly brewed a cup. "Just make sure you keep it on your side of the room." noted Blake.

Yang came back and saw that the two were able to come to some agreement. "Okay, now that we're all awake let's start unpacking."

So the girls got to work. Weiss brought out a large painting of Forever Falls. Weiss looked at the red hues in the trees. The way the leaves seemed to dance across the painting even though they were motionless. 'It reminds me of a certain hyperactive child...' With that image in mind, Weiss hung up the painting on the wall nearest to Ruby's vacant bed.

Yang put up her favorite poster on the wall above her bed. As she was sorting through her things she glanced over towards Ruby's luggage. 'I should lay out her stuff for her. For when she comes back.' Yang began rummaging through her sister's luggage. To her amusement, 95% of her things comprised of spare parts, extra ammo, changing oil, and other things dedicated to Crescent Rose. Yang looked at the scythe that sat beside Ruby's things. 'She always loved that thing.' Yang tucked most of Ruby's things under her bed.

Blake was putting books on the bookshelf above her desk. Once she was finished putting up her textbooks and usual reading material, she set up a hidden bookshelf underneath her bed. She quickly put in her more 'mature' reading material in this bookshelf. She picked up her copy of the famous "Ninjas of Love" series.

"What book is that Blake?" Yang jumped on her bed looking at Blake put her things away.

Blake jumped "Ah! Oh, this book? Umm," Blake quickly put the book into the bookshelf. "Well, well it's about a, um, a ninja who tries to, to, find love." Blake frantically tried to avert Yang's attention. "Oh look, seems like Weiss needs some help with her things. Why don't you go give her a hand."

"Okay," Yang got off her bed and went to help Weiss. "Hey snow angel, where should I put this stuff?"

"Don't call me snow angel, and don't touch my belongings!"

Blake exhaled in relief. She quickly stashed away the rest of her favorite reads. As she got near the end of her collection, she found a rather old book. An old fairytale that she use to read as a child. 'Ruby would like this story, wouldn't she. Always going on about being a hero and saving the world.' Blake set the book down on Ruby's desk. 'I'll lend it to her when she comes back.'

The trio continued to unpack their things and clean up their room the rest of the morning. After changing into their uniforms, they took a step back and admired their work. "It is a bit cramp, but I think we should be fine." noted Blake.

"It would be less crowded if Weiss didn't bring so much stuff." complained Yang.

"Hey!" shot back Weiss. "At least I don't take up so much room in the bathroom."

"What can I say?" Yang cradled her hair gently. "I need to keep it in good condition."

"Do you think we should get to know our next door neighbors?" asked Blake.

"It would be good to know who we're next to." agreed Weiss.

"Then it's settled, let's go meet the neighbors!" Yang walked out of the room. The other two followed. In the room across from them they heard quite the conversation.

"Nora, put that down!"

"Aw, but it's so cute!"

"Nora, do as Jaune says."

"But Ren, it's a onesie."

"Nora."

"Fine. Way to ruin the party."

"Thanks,"

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, Pyrrha what's that?"

"O-Oh this? I-It's nothing Nora."

"But it kind of looks like miniature version of Jau-"

"What!? N-No, you're mistaken. They just happened to look alike."

"Really, because it looks handmade? Are you sure you didn't make it your-"

"N-No, it's just a...a gift! Yes, a gift from home."

"Nora, stop teasing Pyrrha."

"Okay Ren~"

The trio decided not to intrude on what was going on inside. The simply stood outside and listened in on the show. "Seems like they're lively this morning." commented Weiss.

"Yep," concurred Yang. "Speaking of mornings, when's our first class?"

"Should be 9" checked Blake.

"What? Did you say 9 o'clock?" cried out Weiss.

"Umm,"

"It's 8:55, we have to go!" Weiss began to sprint down the hallway.

"Well, can't let the heiress leave us in her dust." Yang ran on after her.

'Did she just try to make a pun?' Shaking the thought, Blake followed.

Team JNPR looked out the door at the commotion that was going on. "Class?"

Ren sighed at his teammates crowding the doorway. He lightly shoved Pyrrha, who crashed into Nora and Jaune.

Jaune quickly picked himself up. "We're going to be late." The rest of the team dashed after their team leader.

Out on the courtyard Ozpin stood in the courtyard alongside Glynda. "Ozpin, I really think that it is a bad habit."

"Yes, it would be seen as distasteful to many, but I see it as an opportunity to see the personalities of our students." reasoned Ozpin

"I'm sure it is a good opportunity, but watching late students run frantically to class..."

Just then Team BWYR and JNPR ran past them. For a small instant Ozpin's mouth curled into a grin. Only to lower into a frown as he remembered. 'Ms. Rose is still out there.'

The female professor looked at her watch. "It's 8:57. I'm not sure they're going to make it."

"I'm sure they'll be just fine." Ozpin turned around. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have an appointment with the Abyss."

The huntress responded with a confused look when she glanced back at Team BWYR. "Ah, may your appointment go well."

"We can only hope." Ozpin sighed.

"Students chattered to each other. The excitement buzzed in the air. They're first class at Beacon! They waited anxiously for their professor to begin the lesson. The professor was a stout man with a very burly mustache.

Team BWYR quickly came into the room. Team JNPR began with a different class so they split up midway on the journey. Because there weren't any seats left, BWYR made their way into the front seats.

In the front of the lecture hall were a row of boards. Each panel was dedicated to a certain type of Grimm. There were artistic representations, lists of weak points, other known facts, and also a section about the origin of its name.

Weiss quickly glanced over each figure. However her eyes stopped at the diagram of the Nevermore. The beast that took her partner from her.

" _You let it take my life._ "

"Huh?" Weiss looked around but couldn't find the owner of the voice.

The professor cleared his throat and the students quieted down. "Hello class my name is Professor Port. I shall be your professor this semester." The students sat quietly as he began the lecture.

"Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey. Haha!"

The crowd of students silently. Each student was thinking a similar thought. 'Is this guy for real...' Crickets could be heard in the background chirping. "Jimmie get back in the cage!" hushed a student near the back of the room

"Uhh...and you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy. Now as I was saying Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in. Huntsmen. Huntresses." Professor Port pointed towards Yang and clicked his tongue.

"uh...heh heh" Yang rolled her eyes uninterested. Professor Port continued.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask?"

The class mentally shouted. 'No one is asking!'

"Why, from the very world!" declared the professor.

"Eyy yay!" A student near the back shouted while fist pumping in the air. Everyone looked back at the person causing the commotion.

A person next to him grabbed his arm and whispered loudly. "Dude, get down! You're embarrassing our group." The obnoxious team member sat back down.

"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story." students in the crowd groaned.

"Oh no"

"He's one of _those_ teachers."

"This is going to be a long class."

The professor continued. "A tale of a young handsome man. Me! When I was a boy..."

Weiss looked around to see what the other students were doing. Students began to give up on the lesson and do their own things. Some went on their scrolls looking to see what are their next classes. Others rested their head on their arms taking back sleep that they lost from waking up so early. 'No! I have to focus on the professor!' Weiss returned her focus on the story.

"Despite smelled of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter' he told me..."

Weiss was on the verge of tuning the professor out. " _Must be nice, being able to attend classes and all._ '

Weiss looked next to her, seeing no one. 'Could it have been Ruby?' Just as she was continuing the train of thought someone behind them farted.

The far was executed with extreme precision. Waiting for just the right moment when the professor took a slight pause. The noise easily traveled across the lecture hall. Students busted into laughter. Team BWYR included. The students nearest the creator shuffled out in search of less odorous seats.

Professor port cleared his throat. The laughter was cut off. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high. Celebrated as a hero." the professor took a bow.

Most of the students remained silent. "Is he done?" complained one of the students.

"The moral of the story?" restarted the huntsman.

"Oh Oum," A classmate slapped his head against the desk. "End it already." cried another.

"A true huntsmen must be honorable."

" _You showed your dishonor when you abandoned me._ "

Weiss looked for the owner of the voice still finding nothing. 'What are they talking about!?'

"A true huntsmen must be dependable."

" _I was depending on you. You failed me._ "

"A true huntsmen must be strategic,"

" _You didn't think of a plan._ "

"Well educated."

" _You didn't know what to do._ "

"And wise"

" _You left me all alone._ "

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

" _You are none of these traits._ "

Weiss was done with the voice. "I do, sir!" shouted Weiss.

"Well then, let's find out." The professor tossed a light pebble into a cage that was sitting at the edge of the room. As the pebble landed into the cage fierce red eyes began to glow, the cage shook violently, and a deep growl came from within. "Step forward and face your opponent."

Weiss stood up and walked down to the front.

" _You'll lose._ '

'Let's see about that.'


	5. Chapter 5

Professor took his axe down from wall. "Do you happen to have your weapon on hand?"

"No, but it shouldn't take long for me to retrieve it." responded Weiss.

"Splendid, go and gather your equipment." Weiss quickly make her way out of the lecture hall and into the courtyard. She pulled out her scroll and punched in the coordinates.

In a few seconds her locker came flying towards her. It crashed into the ground kicking up debris. 'This academy really needs to fix these lockers. Think about all the damages they cause.' She opened the locker to reveal her combat uniform and Myrtenaster. Using the locker as a makeshift changing station she quickly put the outfit on and headed back to class.

'Wait, how do they put the lockers back into their place?' She turned around seeing an elderly janitor sighing as he lugged the large locker away. Weiss decided not to dwell on the new found knowledge. 'I have to get back to class.'

She entered into the classroom. A mild dull of chatter echoed throughout its walls. When she walked in people began directing their discussions towards her.

"She's wearing a dress?" laughed one boy. "Is she really going to fight in a dress?"

*SLAP* "Can't you tell what it is? It's a combat skirt!" huffed a girl right next to him. "I can't believe someone like you is a part of my team."

"Hey, I was kidding. Can't you take a joke? Wait, don't leave!" The girl left to find a different spot.

Weiss stood facing the cage. Myrtenaster poised and ready to strike. To the side she could hear her teammates cheering her on.

"Go Weiss!" shouted Yang as she pumped a fist in the air.

"Fight well!" encouraged Blake as she waved a little flag that read BWYR that she got from Oum knows where.

"Will you two keep it down! I'm trying to focus." The two lowered their arms and nodded in compliance. Weiss huffed as she returned her focus on the cage. 'Those two can be so obnoxious.' Then her mouth curled into a smile. 'But they aren't that bad.'

" _Better focus or you'll fail again._ "

"Alright." Professor Port raised his axe high. "Let the match begin!" With a mighty swing, the lock fell off the cage. However, to everyone's surprise, the target of the swing was actually the entire front panel of the cage. The front of the cage fell forward, revealing a Boarbatusk

The beast grunted as it came bursting out.

" _Make sure you land the first strike, or someone could get hurt."_

Weiss sidestepped the Grimm and swung. Myrtenaster struck the bony plates on the Boarbatusk's head. However, the strike proved to be not effective. The beast continued its charge until it skid to stop. It turned around and glared at Weiss grunting.

"Ha ha, wasn't expecting that were you?" cheered Professor Port.

'Not really,'

"You know, _I wasn't expecting to get stabbed by a Nevermore, but then again. We all have expectations that don't get met._ "

Weiss winced at the accusation made by the voice. 'This is no time to be distracted by the past.' Weiss went lunged forward. The Boarbatusk turned its head making the thrust slip through its tusks. With the missed strike the boar smacked its tusk into Weiss.

"Wah" Weiss jumped in the air to reduce the damage and not get sent flying. Midair she repositioned herself to keep her grip on her rapier. However, she found that Myrtenaster was tangled between the monster's tusks. She frantically tried to free her weapon.

As the last scene was unfolding Professor Port commended the effort. "A bold new approach. I like it."

"Come on." muttered Weiss. As she continued her attempt to free her precious rapier.

" _Aw come on snow angel, you should be able to do better than that."_

"Who called me 'snow angel'?" Weiss turned towards the other students, but none of them has said anything. Sensing that its opponent was distracted the Boarbatusk jerked its head causing Weiss to lose her grip on Myrtenaster. And sending it flying behind him.

" _Being distracted cost you your weapon. Just like it costed me my life._ "

Weiss grit her teeth getting very tired of listening to this voice. The boar charged the heiress at close range, knocking her back away from her rapier.

"Hoho, now what will you do without your weapon?" challenged the professor.

As Weiss was recovering from the blow she looked up to see the Boarbatusk charging at her once again. She rolled to the left to avoid the fatal charge. The boar continued to barrel forward, hitting the desk. The students cried out in alarm.

"Oh crap!" screams some student as they picked up their stuff and left the front row. The other students followed suit quickly evacuating the front area save Blake and Yang. They were eager to witness the battle up close.

'This is my chance.' Weiss made a mad sprint for Myrtenaster while the Grimm was still dazed.

" _It's tougher than it looks, what are you going to do?_ "

"Would you be quiet for just a second!"

The pig turned towards Weiss. It sprung in the air and curled into a ball, spinning at high speeds. Then it rolled towards the heiress.

Weiss thought fast, summoning a glyph in front of her. The glyph acted as a wall, stopping all of the boartusk momentum. Causing it to fall on its back.

'Here's my chance' Weiss jumped and held on to a glyph ready to launch herself at the beast. 'One strike to the stomach and it's all over.' Weiss pushed off from the glyph. Ready to finish the fight.

" _Think you can make the shot?_ "

Weiss barreled forward. Missing the Grimm completely. Her arm shaking from being unprepared as she hit the ground. Having missed the heiress puts distance between herself and the beast.

The Boarbatusk locked onto its target once more, winding up for another rollout.

Weiss set a glyph on the floor. As the monster rushed towards her she rolled to the side. Just as the Grimm landed on the glyph, she activated it sending it flying. She threw another glyph in the air holding it still. 'This time I'll make it.'

" _Because you couldn't do it the first time._ "

She dashed towards it and stabs it clear through the belly. The monster squeals its final breath before it began to vaporize. Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster from the beast's gut letting the corpse hit the floor.

Professor Port congratulated the girl. "Bravo, bravo! It appears that we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training."

" _You know you missed, right?_ "

Weiss yelled out "I know!"

Weiss realized that she had just shouted in front of the entire class. Embarrassed she stormed out of the lecture hall. Everyone sat still as she walked out leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

"Umm, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant. Class dismissed." Students packed their things as they dispersed to their other classes.

Yang looked towards Blake concerned. "Do you think she's okay?"

Blake shrugged. "I'm not sure. It seemed like she was distracted."

"Sheesh, what's with her?"

The pair of girls looked behind them to see the warrior from team JNPR.

"That outburst at the end was out of character." mentioned Jaune.

"Umm, what are you guys doing here?" inquired Blake. "You guys aren't a part of this class, right?"

Ren explained. "We came in, since their class was finished early. Professor, I mean, Dr. Oobleck is quite the fast talker."

"Yeah, even faster than me!" interjected Nora.

"Anyway, it seems like something is bothering her. You might want to talk to her about it." noted Pyrrha.

"I think Blake is already on it." Jaune pointed to the, now vacant, spot Blake was just sitting at.

"I hope things go well." smiled Nora.

The heiress stomped through the halls. Her cheeks flushed as she went through the school without any particular destination. 'That was so embarrassing. To think that I would let some voice get on my nerves.'

"Weiss!" Blake ran up to Weiss. The heiress turned around, looking at her team leader. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," responded Weiss. "I just wasn't at my best."

"Weiss, I'm your team leader. I'm here for you." Blake took hold of Weiss' hand. "Now tell me what's been on your mind."

Weiss sighed. 'There isn't any reason not to tell her.' She looked the faunus.

"I-I've been hearing this voice inside my head."

"We all hear voices in our head sometimes."

"This is different."

"How?"

"From the way they're talking, I think it's Ruby."

Blake looked away and muttered "Not you too."

"Excuse me?"

"Earlier this morning. Yang...Yang thought she saw Ruby spirit and that it's out to get her."

"Then you're saying that?"

"I'm not saying anything." Blake quickly answered. "But if it was her ghost. It would make some sense because you both were close to her...it would make sense if she blamed you for her..." Blake looked away not wanting to finish the thought.

"I think I need some fresh air to clear my head." Weiss left out the doors at the end of the hallway. Blake stood there wanting to run after the heiress, but reluctant. 'Maybe it's better to give her some time alone.'

Blake decided to head back to class to meet up with Yang. Turning around she was met by someone. "Professor Goodwitch!"

"Now, I may not be Professor Ozpin, but even I can tell that your conversation didn't go very well."

"Was it that obvious?"

"I'm afraid so."

"What am I supposed to do to help them? They are going through all this trouble and it is obviously showing. I'm their team leader, I need to do something for them."

Mrs. Goodwitch sighed. "Come, let's have a nice talk."

Weiss went outside. The cool air felt relaxing to her. Weiss stared out to the reddening horizon thinking about Ruby. 'Was it her ghost or was it all my imagination?'

"Ah a lovely sunset, wouldn't you say."

Weiss looked over her shoulder and blurted out in surprise. "Professor Port?"

"Ahh Ms. Schnee! And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

Weiss quickly cooked up an answer. "I-I enjoyed your lecture." She then facepalmed herself in her own foolishness. 'There is no way he is going to buy that.'

"Of course you did child. You have the blood of a true huntress in you." cheered the professor.

Weiss perked up at hearing about being a true huntress. "You really think so?"

"Most surely." reassured Professor Port.

'It sure doesn't seem that way to me.'

The professor seemed to pick up on the mental distress. "Hmm something is troubling you."

"Yes sir." confessed Weiss

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!" shouted the professor loudly.

"W-Well, I've been hearing voices in my head and I think that it's my partner's spirit talking to me."

There was a pause. No sound was made. Weiss looked for any sort of reaction from the teacher before her. After some time when on he finally said. "That's preposterous."

"What do you mean?" Blake is sitting next to Professor Goodwitch in hall. Blake had just told Mrs. Goodwitch about her worried about her teammates.

"I'm saying that it's only been one day. The wounds to their hearts are still new. Hoping that they heal so quickly is simply that. Hope. With time all wounds will eventually heal. So instead of insisting that people move on so quickly. You need to ease others into accepting what happened."

"How am I supposed to do that Mrs. Goodwitch?"

"Weiss, do you remember my story that I told during class today?" asked the professor.

"Yes, professor." replied Weiss.

"Well, in truth there was actually more to the story than I let on." Port began to fill in the missing details. "Yes I came out victorious against the Beowolf, but in truth I was only victorious after losing someone dear to me."

"Sir?"

"Her name was Daisy, Her hair like streaks of sunlight, her skin was pure as porcelain, and her eyes were as clear as crystals. And she was my first love." the professor sighed recalling the memory of her. "She wasn't just beautiful. No, she was also strong. However, even the strongest can fall." Professor Port's face darkens. "One day Daisy was out by the lake gathering plants when she was attacked. Attacked by a Beowolf. Even though she was strong, she lost her life. After that, well, you know the rest. I came back victorious against the demon."

"Um sir, what are you trying to say?" questioned Weiss.

"What I'm trying to say is that even though I lost someone important to me, I didn't let the loss control me. Instead I became determined to become stronger from it. I put in effort to keep the things I still have protected."

"But what about the voices? What do you think about them?"

"If I said it was Ruby's ghost. Would you believe it to be true?"

"I'm not sure."

"What has Professor Ozpin told you about the search for Ruby?"

"He said that they couldn't find the body and that she is most likely alive."

"Well then she's alive and you don't have to worry."

"Excuse me, but how can you believe what he says so faithfully?"

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years and the man's never once led me astray."

"Blake, you should already know that being a team leader isn't a title you wear into battle, but a badge that you wear constantly, correct?" Blake nodded.

"Good, but did you know that being a team leader also means being a good friend. Being able to understand your teammates and sticking with them through thick and thin."

Professor Port tried to summarize what he was saying. "So you have made a few mistakes. Do you think that letting yourself bend to the will of these voices will make your problems to simply go away? So instead of fretting about what you are burdened with, savor what you gifted with. Hone your skills perfect every technique and be the best person you can be."

"You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Blake. But that doesn't mean that you have to actively push them to solve their issues. I advise you take some time to figure out how you can best help those who are hurting."

After meeting with the professors, both of the girls continued with their other classes. Being a team leader, Blake was put in classes that differed from her teammates for the day. So the two didn't see each other the entire day.

Having just finished some glyph training, Weiss walked into the room. It was dark outside and most of the other students were already asleep. When walked in the room she smelled coffee. Looking at her desk, she saw Blake hold out a cup of coffee towards Weiss.

"I'm not sure how you liked your coffee, but here." Weiss graciously accepted the warm cup. She took a sip before slowly spewing the contents back into the cup.

"This tastes really bad." Weiss quietly confessed.

"I'm sorry, I'm more of a tea person." apologized Blake.

The two looked at each other and giggled. After regaining themselves, Blake spoke. "Hey look, I'm sorry if I haven't been much help it's just that-"

Weiss held up a hand cutting Blake off. "Don't mention it."

"Weiss,"

"It's okay. I'll be fine. I mean, it's frightening to think back on it. But I need to keep moving forward."

"Weiss, you don't need to go so fast. You can take it easy."

"Don't worry, I'm not going fast. I'm taking it rather slowly actually."

"You're really strong, you know that."

"I'm only strong now, because my weakness hurt those around me."

Just then Yang grumbled something in her sleep. "Huh, no Ruby. You can't use Crescent Rose like a fork."

The two giggled again. "I think it's best that we both get some sleep." yawned Blake. "Get some rest, we have plenty to do tomorrow too."

"Sure" Weiss got changed into her nightgown and watched as Blake slowly fell asleep. Once she knew that both girls were asleep she got up and exhaled. 'I'm going to become strong. Strong enough to protect those around me. Professor Ozpin said that she is still alive. When she comes back, I'll be strong enough to make sure she doesn't leave again.'

During her pep talk Weiss noticed Yang move around with the cape of her sister. In her restlessness a red sliver of fabric fell to the floor. Weiss took it up and ties it around her right arm. 'I hope Yang doesn't mind.' Satisfied with her memento she went to sleep.

Ozpin looked at his scroll. He had just reached the marked location of where he had last seen Ruby. The Abyss seemed more unforgiving compared to his last trip. The darkness felt denser. The Grimm grew bolder. "This increase in Grimm activity is rather mysterious. I sense a sinister plot brewing."

"You may be right about that Headmaster."

Ozpin closed his scroll and took up a battle stance. He quickly analyzed his surroundings. In an instant, he located the person speaking to him. A hooded figure sitting cross legged on a high rock formation. From where the headmaster was standing, he couldn't see their face. "Ms. Rose, is that you?"

"I'm not sure who this Rose person is, but I'm not her. There aren't many people who would be hanging around in this place. Actually, I would probably be the only one who had the ability to live here."

Registering the voice, Ozpin lowers his guard. "Oh my, I never thought I would see you here. It's an honor to be graced by your presence."

"Cut the formalities, you know I've been in the Abyss making sure none of the truly deadly Grimm cause havoc in the world above."

"That is true."

"So, what brings the Headmaster of Beacon Academy to the depths of the Abyss?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Oh?"

"Her name is Ruby Rose. She is an adorable young girl who recently came to Beacon. She has brunette hair and has silver eyes. She wears an array of black and red."

"Ah, so the color of her eyes were silver."

"You've seen her?"

"She is under my care."

"Will she be alright?"

"Under my care, she will be fine. The amount of damage inflicted on her body was astounding. Not only does she have a gaping hole in her chest but her eyes are in severe condition."

"Would it be possible to meet with her. I'd like to at least have a few words with her."

"Of course, come this way." the hooded figure jumped down from the rock and walked towards a cave. Professor Ozpin could do nothing but follow.

'In this person's care, she will definitely be fine. I've finally gotten some good news for once.'

 **Man this chapter was kind of hard to write. Anyway, I plan on making the next chapter about one of two things. The story of a certain Little Red or continuing on the school days of our BWYR trio. Let me know which one you guys want.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The winner was...**

 **-Drum roll-**

 **Little Red! Enjoy!**

Falling. Ruby looked at the sky above her. The Nevermore had just take a heavy slug from her sister. As she fell she caught a glimpse of her partner as she continued to fall.

'I have to stay alive.' She focused her aura to stop the bleeding. The wound itself was impossible to heal with aura, but she did the best she could to patch it up. Once she was patched up, she flipped over and spread her body out to increase her air resistance slowing her descent.

She turned her attention to the massive pillars that was supporting the ruins above. 'This is probably my last shot.' She angled her body towards the support. As she got close she wedged her combat boots into the massive stone.

"Uh" Ruby winced at the impact. She continued to fall, but she was rapidly decreasing her speed. Long black streaks appeared on the pillar as she continued downward. She coated her hands with aura and clawed at the support. By now her aura was getting low, but she had plenty of reserves due to her training with her uncle.

As she pressed hard against the support she realized it was shaking violently. Yang, who was pummeling the Nevermore above her, caused the mountain and the support to rumble. 'If I could just hold on until she is finished letting out steam...'

Ruby looked up to see if there were any signs of Yang stopping anytime soon. Instead, she saw that large pieces of the ruins were crashing towards her. The already cracked structure couldn't hold under the pressure and was slowly breaking down underneath. However, the top of the ruins remained intact leaving the people standing on it unaware of the instabilities below.

"Oh, boy" Ruby climbed up the pillar. Spiralling up to dodge the debris crashing down. Ruby opted out of using her semblance quicken her pace for two reasons. One was that it required her to use a hefty amount of aura which she wasn't willing to spend. The other was that the sudden use of her semblance might cause the pillar to collapse. This would not only end her life, but even her partner's and sister's life as well.

She continued to climb up the support. A large chunk of the ruin sped towards her. She twisted around the pillar to dodge the rubble. Only to be met with another large piece of falling debris.

Unable to react, the rock crashes into Ruby. The impact loosens her hold on the support. Dazed from the blow she is forced down towards the cloud line once more.

She passed through the clouds reaching the other side. Ruby tried to make out her surrounds, but was still reeling from the hit she took. All around, she couldn't see anything. The clouds shut out all the light.

Ruby was falling. Wind was whipping past her face. She knew that she needed a landing strategy and fast. However, because she was without Crescent Rose her choices were limited. 'I guess I'll just have to dive bomb.' She summoned her aura to coat her body. By now, Ruby was cutting into her reserves, but she was still wary to put aside some aura just in case.

With her aura armor finished all she could do is close her eyes and wait.

She crashed into the earth.

The earth cracked scattering rock in all directions. Ruby crawled out of the crater she created. As she moved, a trail of blood was left in her wake. The impact reopened her stomach wound and she didn't have the necessary amount of aura needed to close the wounds again. Desperately, she kept moving to fight her tiredness. Knowing that when she closed her eyes, she probably wouldn't open them again.

The huntress in training probed the dark emptiness until she found a large boulder. With effort, she propped herself against it. Her legs were wobbling, but she managed. Her breath was ragged and her mind near its limits. She could sense that her aura was running low.

She pulled out her scroll. As she opened it the light flashed. However, the scroll was damaged so the light started to bleep out until it was completely unusable. "Great, now I can't contact anyone. Can my luck get any worse?"

Ruby heard a deep growl somewhere close by. "Oh haha world, that's very funny. I see what you did there." spat Ruby sarcastically as she pressed her back against the rock.

Unbeknownst to her, Ruby's aura armor from before had attracted a creature of Grimm. A lone Alpha Beowolf stalked towards her location. Unlike most Beowolves, this Grimm was hunting alone. Years of experience honed its ability to the peak. It no longer needed any other companions.

Even though the world was shrouded in darkness, the beast was able to see the girl. Her aura was a beacon that brought the Grimm forth.

The Alpha moved within striking distance. Without any preparation, it charged with its claws ready to cut the little girl down.

Ruby's instincts took over, she quickly spun along the face of the rock. The swipe managed to catch her cape. The cape was ripped off Ruby's back. She looked for her assailant.

She saw a pair of beating red eyes.

She knew.

She ran.

Moving through the dense darkness proved difficult. She held one of her arms out to make sure there wasn't anything in front of her. As she ran she dug through her ammo. "Come on, I know I stashed my dust rounds somewhere."

Behind her, she could hear the roar of the beast that was about to eat her. Her hand found one of her dust rounds. She turned back briefly and threw the round at the beast.

The round was activated by Ruby's aura. As it hit the Grimm in the head, it exploded. Unfortunately, the Alpha's thick bony armor made it ineffective. But the blast gave Ruby a chance to see her assailant.

"Hehehe, nice Alpha Beowolf." Ruby knew that she had only had a slim chance in fighting the demon, and that was when she was in top shape with Crescent Rose. She could only hope to escape.

The blast made the Beowolf irritated. It resumed its charge against the girl. Ruby ran, every once in awhile throwing more dust rounds in attempt to slow it down.

Ruby's wound was bleeding profusely now. Her vision was becoming blurry from blood loss. Her legs felt like lead, but she had to press on.

'I can't die here!'

Ruby got to the last two bullet. "These are my last ones. Might as well end it with both our deaths." Ruby stopped in her tracks and faced the Beowolf. Seeing as its prey stopped, it leaped forward baring its fangs.

Ruby was waiting for this moment. She threw one of her rounds at the Beowolf's feet, illuminating the beast for a split moment. She could see its figure as it came flying towards her with its jaw open. With her target in sight, she tossed the last round into its mouth.

The Beowolf, surprised by the action, stopped short of its target. The Grimm gagged as it tried to rid itself of the ingested bullet.

'Any second now and we'll get wolf poppers.' Ruby waited for the Alpha to blow up. But time passed and the Grimm was still in one piece. Ruby realized her mistake.

She had run out of aura.

Seeing as it was impossible to cough up the dust round. The Beowolf ignored it growling as geared up to slash at its prey. Ruby attempted to get some distance between them. But with the blood loss and low aura she was barely able to stand anymore and collapsed on the spot.

The Beowolf swung its mighty claws at Ruby.

The world went red.

Pain flared across Ruby's face. She held her hands close to her face. She could feels her warm blood staining her hands. Ruby felt her consciousness slipping away. 'I guess this is the end.'

Ruby looked back on her life. She remembered how she almost lost her life to a pack of Beowolves. Yang had put her in a wagon and taken her to who knows where. When Ruby came to, she caught a glimpse of the Grimm. Fortunately, before anything happened, Uncle Qrow swooped. Had it not been for him, the two would be dead.

'If only Uncle Qrow was here now. But Dad said he was on a mission so he couldn't possibly be here.'

Just as she was about to go under, Ruby felt something brush against her skin. As if some fabric was brushing against her. There was a blast of warm air against her cheek. A growl from the Alpha and it's vaporization. And she could hear someone speaking to her.

"Everything will be just fine."

Ozpin walked after the hooded figure into a cave. From outside no light could be seen, but once you entered, a warm hearth burned warmly. The cave was quite large. Above the flame was a large cauldron. Soup bubbled quietly as it cooked. At the far end of the cave herbs of different shapes and colors were growing. A spring nearby fed fresh water into a small pool. The cave was quite comfortable, but he wasn't there to receive the person's hospitality.

He continued to observe the cave when he saw a pile of leaves besides the fire.

There he saw Ruby lying on top of the foliage. Her iconic red and black clothes had been replaced with a simple white gown. Bandages were wrapped around her face. Aside the leaves was a pile of bloody bandages and her tattered clothes.

The hooded figure guided Ozpin to a seat near the fire. She stirred the contents of the large pot. Taking a stone bowl and filling it with the soup, she offered it to the headmaster. "Thank you." Ozpin graciously took the bowl and drank the liquid.

"Well, you wanted to meet the girl and here she is." gestured the mysterious person.

Ozpin looked at the girl he had recruited to his school. He could see her chest rising and falling steadily. "Is she awake?"

The hooded figure shook their head. "No, it will take some time before she will wake up."

"When do you suppose she will be awake?"

"I'd say a week for to wake up, and at least a month before she is running around."

"I see..."

"She need to focus all her efforts on healing." explained the figure. "When I found her, her aura was basically depleted. Not to mention that her face were slashed by the Beowolf critically damaging her eyes and her stomach was pierced by who knows what."

"Can you do anything to help her?"

"Ozpin please, you know better than almost every other man, woman, and child on earth of what I am truly capable of."

"Yes, forgive me."

"Ozpin, I assure you that she is in good hands. It will take time, but I guarantee she will be up and on her feet to fight Grimm another day."

"I will take your word for it."

"So say so, but you don't sound sure."

Ozpin set down the empty bowl and looked at the person across from him. "It's just that throughout the years, I've seen many injuries as well as many types of healing. These injuries seem beyond the realm of medicines capabilities."

The hooded figure sighed. "I am one of the few gifted with capabilities that most of the world doesn't even know about. I can do so much that others cannot. For example, do you see this plant?" The mysterious person plucked a flower. It had small round orange petals with fiery reds and yellows leading to the center. "This plant isn't something you would find down here in the darkness of the Abyss. It's a native plant known for revitalizing aura in the bright dunes of Vacuo, yet here it is. In fact all the plants here come from all over Remnant. Each has specific needs, yet here they grow. Though this plant is one of my favorites."

"So I take it that you will use that flower to help the girl?"

The hooded figure laughed. "I can do more than use it. You see, growing plants isn't my specialty." The flower left the person's hand and was levitating in front of her. "My specialty is in manipulating them." In an instant, the flower takes an icy blue look. Looking closely, a person could see a thin layer of ice had surrounded the flower.

"This particular flower can't stand the cold, if you tried to grow it in cold climates, you would fail miserably. However, the effects of this plant happen to be at its strongest when it is cold."

"That's fascinating, but why on earth would you have these herbs here in the first place? I'm sure injuries aren't part of your concern, so there would be no reason to have these medicinal plants at all."

"What can I say? Old habits die hard."

"Oh?"

"Before _that_ happened, I would wander the world, helping those I found along the way. These plants are the result of those travels. Holding on to them reminds me of my time spent helping others."

"I see, well. I've intruded long enough. I will come back another time to check up on the girl." The headmaster got up. "Thank you for helping her. If it weren't for you, I'm sure she would have died."

"Save the thanks for when she's back on her feet. I've got a lot to do before then."

Ozpin nodded and headed out of the cave. He took out his scroll and marked his coordinates for later. He smiled to himself as he could finally ease the minds of Ruby's team. He turned on his flashlight and headed back.

" _You did nothing. Her life was saved by one with power. You are powerless._ "

Ozpin glanced over his shoulder, turning the flashlight to illuminate the space behind him. There was nothing besides rock. He couldn't sense any killer intent either. 'I must be hearing things.' Ozpin turned around and continued back to Beacon.

In the cover of darkness three sets of eyes watched the headmaster. They saw where he appeared from. The person in the center smirked. "At last I can finally can get some true power."

The world had faded away. Ruby stood before an endless void. Nothing stood before her except the darkness.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone there?"

There was no reply. Ruby tried to peer into the emptiness to find something. Nothing came to her. She sighed and plopped to the floor. 'Wait, there's a floor?'

She looked beneath her and saw that she was sitting on the edge of a white road. The sides were cut clean. The floor in front of her didn't continue beyond where she was. It was fractured and broken off.

Ruby got up and looked behind her. The road continued into the horizon. Winding this way and that. Small balls of lights littered the sides of the road. Some big, some small.

Curiosity took over and Ruby stepped towards one of the nearest ball of light. The light quietly floated suspended in the air. She reached out to touch the light.

As her hand brushed against the surface of the ball, it expanded into a large window. The light began to dance as an image came forth.

She saw Weiss. Standing with her Myrtenaster ready. Besides Weiss was red hooded figure, standing on mechanical scythe and what seemed to be a giant slingshot. 'Is that me?'

"Think you can make the shot?"

Ruby stared at the window of light in awe. She was looking back at her memories. She saw Weiss releasing the glyph sending her former self flying. Ruby looked away. She witnessing herself hurt again. She held her stomach as the wound ached.

She looked down and noticed that the hole was no longer there. Additionally, her standard combat skirt was clean and untattered. Ruby looked around and found that all the other balls of light had undergone a similar transformation as the first. Each one became a large panel playing one of the many memories of her life.

She strolled along the white path as she glanced as each frame, recalled each memory. The times she smiled, frowned, laughed, cried, and everything else displayed on the screens of light. She continued watching all the memories until she reached the last screen. Her first memory.

Her mother's face.

She smiled as she looked at her mother's smile. She had gone through all her memories with her very first one being of her mom. Then a thought occurred to her. Her life was played out on this shining road. On one end was her birth, but there was another end on the other side of her path of life.

"Does that mean I'm dead?"

"Not quite Little Rose."

Ruby froze. Only one person on earth called her Little Rose. Neither her dad nor her sister called her that. It was a pet name that she had gotten when she was very young. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard the nickname.

It was what her mom used called her.

"Mom?" Ruby scanned her surroundings to find a figure in a snow white cloak. Ruby couldn't see her eyes, but there was a definite smile on her face.

"Glad you remembered me." Ruby realized that she was no longer standing on a path of light. She was standing on the edge of a forest. The forest was located on the edge of a cliff. The vast landscape beyond the cliff was bathed in bright oranges and reds. The sun was setting. At the very edge of the cliff stood Ruby's mom.

"M-mom?" Ruby's eyes were becoming wet with tears. It had been so long since Ruby had last seen her.

"Good to see you again Little Rose. Now come here and give your mom a hug." Summer Rose opened her arms wide ready to accept her child.

"Mom!" Ruby tackled her mom. Tears visible on her face. She sobbed quietly into her mother's chest. Summer quietly rubbed Ruby's back humming a tune as she always did in the past.

Ruby looked up at her mom "You're really here. You're really here this time. This isn't a dream. Mom, I missed you so much." She hugged Summer tightly. Summer returned the gesture.

"I missed you too my Little Rose." She loosened her hold of her daughter to get a good look at her. "Time sure does fly, you look exactly like I did when I was your age. Cape any everything too."

Ruby blushed as bright as her name. "Well, I always looked up to you."

Summer smiled. "Why don't we sit down and catch up. I'm sure you have plenty to tell me."

"Yeah I do," The mother daughter pair sat down on the edge of the cliff. Ruby began talking about her time after her mother's passing. All the adventures she went on. All the places she's been to. All the people that she's met. Summer sat there listening intently. Occasionally commenting or laughing as the stories Ruby told.

"Then she saved me from the Deathstalker. Even though she was a little bossy she's pretty cool."

"I'm sure she is a wonderful person."

Ruby ended her stories there. She didn't want to talk about the incident with the Nevermore. That would be a bad way to end her stories. Instead she brought her attention to her current situation. "Hey, mom."

"Yes?"

"Am I dead?"

Summer laughed. She patted Ruby's head in assurance. "No dear, you aren't dead. Right now you're just asleep."

Ruby felt a sting in her heart. She looked up at her mother. "So this is all a dream?"

Summer noticed the girl's concern. "No Ruby, it isn't a dream. I'm what you call a spirit. Where we are now is where spirits go after death. You took some pretty hard hits. You're basically on the fence of staying here forever."

"I wouldn't mind staying here forever, if I could stay with you." Ruby blurted out. Her mother had disappeared so early in her life. She wanted to know more about the mother she never really got to know. But Summer wouldn't have it.

"Ruby dear, I know you want to be with me, but there are more people waiting for you to wake up. Think about your sister."

Ruby flinched. It wasn't that she forgot her sister, but she realized what her sister must be going through. 'If I saw Yang get stabbed by a Nevermore, I wouldn't be able to live with myself...' Ruby quickly turned towards her mother. "I have to go back."

Summer smiled softly. "That's my Little Rose."

"But mom, how do I get back?" Ruby realized that she didn't have a clear way to get back. She had just suddenly appeared in this world. There was no door or entrance to speak of. For all she knew, she was actually stuck there forever.

"Don't worry about the logic behind it Ruby. You're already waking up as we speak."

"How can you tell?"

"See for yourself." Summer held one of Ruby's hands. It was becoming more and more transparent. Flashing in and out of existence. "It's time for you to go Little Rose."

"Until we meet again." With that farewell, Ruby disappeared. Summer watched her daughter vanish leaving behind flower petals in her wake. She laughed to herself. "We really did have a flower of a child didn't we, Taiyang."

She began humming to herself as she looked at the setting sun. She would wait on the cliff until the next time she would meet someone.

Ruby woke up. But she couldn't see anything. Ruby flexed her toes and felt a proper response. She could feel her ankles touching some sort of textured surface. It felt soft on her back. Wanting to know why she couldn't see, Ruby tried to get up.

Just as she lifted her head up slightly off the bed she was stopped. Ruby could feel something pinning her down. Her instincts roared into action, telling her she needed to get up. She tried even hard to get free from the restraints.

"Hold it, you were gaping hole in you stomach. Get up now and the recovery will be set back another month."

Ruby stopped. "Who are you?"

"Someone who saved your soul and is in the process of saving your life. Now, be quiet and stay still." Ruby had no choice and rested on the soft bed. She could feel the warmth of a fire nearby, but with all her efforts she couldn't open her eyes.

"Why is it so dark? I can't see a thing."

"I had to wrap bandages around your face. Even if you could open your eyes you wouldn't see anything." Ruby's savior scooped out some liquid from the pot into a stone bowl.

"Why are you saying?" Ruby tried to find the reason why she would need to have her head bandaged.

"Your eyes were injured by a Beowolf. I'm currently working on healing that wound, along with the hole in your stomach. You'll be able to see and back to normal in a few months."

Ruby stiffened. She recalled the battle with the Alpha Beowolf. She was tempted to touch the wound. On her face, but willfully held her hand down. "A-are you sure I'll be fine?"

"Trust me, I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to healing. Now I'm going to feed you, so open wide." Ruby opening her mouth and soon the warm soup began pouring down Ruby's throat. It was delicious to say the least. Ruby quickly finished all the soup.

"How was it? I might not be the best cook, but it should have tasted good."

"It was delicious!" praised Ruby. "I'd eat it any day."

"Good, because that's what you'll be eating everyday, until you get better."

"How are you going to get me better? I'm not sure that these kinds of wounds can be healed with some healing semblance." Ruby remembered hearing stories of veteran warriors whose injuries were beyond the capabilities of aura and they were forced to retire.

"Well, in most situations, these injuries would be impossible to heal. However, I'm not using aura alone to heal you. I have other methods of healing like using herbal medicines and of course, magic."

"Did you just say magic?"

"Yes I did."

"Pft, magic doesn't exist." Ruby recalled a time where a magician pulled a rabbit out of a hat and Ruby was disappointed to find out it was all an elaborate ruse.

"Say what you want. Anyway, I need you to focus your aura on your wounds if you can. It'll make the healing process faster and then you can go back to Beacon."

"Okay." Ruby began circulating her aura through her body.

Many weeks have past since Ruby woke up. In her current condition, Ruby could be considered fine and well. She had regained her vision and the hole in her stomach was closed. Currently, Ruby was doing pushups next to the fire. She was told to get some exercise, but had to stay inside the cave. Ruby continued her workout as she waited for Autumn to come back.

Autumn was just a name Ruby took to calling the healer. She was quite secretive about who she was and why she was here. From what Ruby gathered, Autumn was female and around her 30's. Her reason for being here was to patrol the area. She usually left the cave for many hours leaving Ruby to kill the time. Ruby never saw the mysterious person's face because of the cloak she always wore.

"Today's the day I can go back to Beacon." Ruby wiped the sweat from her forehead as she finished her last set. Once the unidentified healer came back from her mysterious job, the pair would go back to Beacon. Ruby looked at her distorted reflection in the pool of water.

Three diagonal slash marks scarred her face. The first two each crossing over an eye, and the last one crossing her cheek. Ruby traced the scars with her fingers. Then she lifted up her shirt. There was a large scar at her stomach.

"I hope Yang doesn't freak out too much because of this." Ruby lowered her shirt and sat near the fire. "I'm sure she'll freak out a lot."

Just then someone came bursting into the room.

"Oh, Autumn you're back."

Ruby looked, but who she saw wasn't Autumn.

The person was a tall man with messy dark hair. He wore a tattered cape. On his neck hung a necklace with a cross centerpiece. On his back was a large broadsword. He was carrying Autumn in his arms. His face was a mix of panic, anger, and worry. He hadn't noticed Ruby yet.

"Uncle Qrow?"

The man looked towards Ruby and his face changed. He was utterly shocked and confused. "What are you doing in a place like this, kiddo?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, we don't have the time for that."

At the front of the cave a large explosion rang out. The screams of monstrous Grimm echoed throughout the area. Someone from outside called out.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?"

Qrow set Autumn down near Ruby. "Look after her, I've got some business with the person outside." He got to the mouth of the cave and looked back. "Take care kid. Stay safe." With that, he ran out of the cave with sword in hand.

Little did Ruby know, this would be the last time Ruby saw her uncle alive.

 **I'll close with that. I started another fanfiction recently.** _ **And a Jaune, and a Two**_ **is its name. Check it out if you want. Hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter we get to the grand reunion of team BWYR.**


	7. Chapter 7

Ruby sat next to her guardian as explosions rumbled from outside. From the looks of it, Autumn wasn't in horrible condition. Her breath was even and there wasn't any serious bleeding. Ruby dressed the wounds that she could see and waited for Autumn to wake up.

"Ugh, my head." Autumn had finally come to, she held her head in pain. Ruby bombarded her savior with a multitude of questions.

"Autumn, are you okay? Why were you with my uncle? What happened?"

Autumn held up her hand, stopping the girl. "I'm still a bit dizzy, so I can't answer anything right now." Autumn took in her surroundings, breathing deeply to clear her mind.

She could feel energy coming back to her body. "Okay, I think that should do it."

Ruby restarted her attack. "So anyway why were you-?"

Autumn quickly explained the situation. "There are people who would rather have me dead and Qrow has been making sure that my head stays attached to my body. Right now, he is probably fighting them off to buy us time to escape." Autumn slowly got up and walked over to the back of the cave.

For a moment, her eyes flashed and part of the cave wall opened, revealing a rocky set of stairs. "We have a long way to go, but if we go up these stairs, we'll be out of the Abyss and into the forest near Beacon."

Ruby glanced at the entrance of the cave. "What about my uncle?"

"If he makes it out alive, we'll see him after we get out of here. Our main priority should be escaping."

"No, I have to make sure he is okay." defied Ruby. Ruby rarely got to see her uncle and she wasn't going to leave him.

"The people outside, aren't people you can fight. You don't even have a weapon." pointed out Autumn. "You were placed under my care, and I am not going to let you die."

"I'm not moving." Ruby was determined to stay.

Autumn grabbed Ruby's wrist tightly. "Ruby, I don't have time for these immature games. We're talking about life and death here."

Ruby struggled with all her might. Even though Autumn looked slender, Ruby couldn't break free from her iron grasp. "I...am...staying... here." Ruby spat through grit teeth.

"Fine." Autumn, not willing to argue any longer, let go of the girl and walked towards the entrance.

With another flash of light Autumn sealed the mouth of the cave shut. "We'll wait here until the fighting is over. If things go bad, we are running up those stairs. Do you understand?" Ruby nodded.

Autumn sighed and listened to the sounds of battle crashing from outside. "I hope you make it out alive Qrow."

Qrow parried a flurry of bullets and arrows with his sword. Fighting three-on-one was really bad odds. Luckily for him, the three of them were worn down from the earlier fight with Autumn and he was just getting warmed up.

"What's the matter, don't like getting up close." taunted Qrow. The trio in front of him had been conservative and stuck to long range attacks.

"This is the second time you've gotten in my way. Last time, you were able to escape with your lives. This time, you won't be as fortunate." Cinder scowled at the man. The existence that continually got in her way.

"The feeling's mutual." growled the hunter. He pulled his sword out of the ground. He flicked his sword, causing gears to turn at the hilt. The weapon changed from a swords into a large scythe.

Cinder glanced at her underlings. The two of them charged at Qrow, regardless of the weapon change. "I guess, I should stop pulling my punches." grumbled Qrow. He took a battle stance as the pair rushed towards him.

Emerald cast her semblance, causing Qrow to see a ring of clones boxing him in. Qrow didn't flinch and only tightened his grip on his scythe.

The pair pounced, Emerald with her sickles and Mercury with his legs. From Qrow's perspective, it looked as though there was no way to escape. There were so many of them to fend off at once.

But honestly, none of that mattered.

In a flash, Qrow walked out of the circle with his scythe in hand. Behind him, streaks of silver energy flew in all directions. He had slashed every single clone in half.

"Gah!" Emerald's aura shield shattered as she was thrown back towards Cinder. Mercury, who had lost his aura shield in the previous battle, screamed out. "Ahh, my legs!" Qrow had sliced clean through the robotic appendages.

Cinder looked at her enemy. "If you want a job done right, you might as well do it yourself." She pulled out her two swords and slowly approached the hunter.

Qrow decided to make the first move and charged. Cinder crossed her blade to intercept the strike, but he jumped over her head and slashed down on the injured Emerald and Mercury.

Both of them were dead in an instant.

"No!" roared Cinder. Her useful pawns were destroyed by this old drunk of a huntsman. Her anger wasn't some blind rampage. It was a cold and calculated blood lust that burned deep within her. She quickly sent a flurry of attacks in his direction. Qrow, preoccupied with making sure the problematic girl was gone, was delayed in his response.

His fended off the first few blows, but Cinder was quickening her pace. She easily torn down Qrow's defenses. His scythe started showing signs of damage. Cinder spun and kicked the weapon out of the old man's grasp.

Cinder began mutilating the huntsman. Shattering his aura shield with unrelenting speed and indiscriminately hacking away at his body. Qrow could only take the blows and hope for an opening. No such opening came and blood continued to spill from cut wounds all over his body. Cinder was in this to finish this man. She ended her attack with a thrust. Qrow was stabbed straight through the heart.

"Damn," muttered the old huntsman as blood dripped down to the floor from her blades.

Cinder pulled her swords out of his limp body, blood gushing from the wound. Calmed by the smell of blood Cinder realized something. "Oh pity, I forgot to ask for any last words." She swung her swords to clean them of the detestable blood. Analyzing the damages, it was possible to continue pursuing her query, but the odds were now stacked against her.

"Regrettably, I will have to retreat for now, but I guess it's as the saying goes, 'Third time's the charm.'" Cinder walked away from the scene. She had lost her pawns, but she could always get more.

Ruby heard the fighting die down. She looked at Autumn. "I think they finished fighting." Autumn shared the same thought. Using her powers, she opened up the entrance to check out the aftermath.

Ruby used this chance to see the outcome for herself. She ran out carrying a torch made from part of the campfire.

"Ruby, come back here!" demanded Autumn. Unfortunately, Ruby had used her semblance and disappeared from sight.

"What happened?" The ground had taken a pounding from the battle. Craters were scatter across the once even earth.

As she moved through the scene, she felt something squish beneath her. It felt damp and viscous. She directed her gaze at her feet. Her eyes widened and she jumped. "Ah!" In her fright, she dropped her torch and it lands on the ground

Illuminating the corpse that was Ruby's uncle.

Ruby whispered to her uncle. "Uncle Qrow?" There was no response. His eyes were wide open and murky. The wound on his chest dyed crimson.

"Hey, wake up." Ruby shook her uncle lightly, but still no answer came back.

"Now isn't the time for pranks Uncle Qrow." Qrow had always messed around with Ruby and Yang when they were kids. When he was still alive.

"This is where you're supposed to jump out and tell me this is all a prank." Tears began falling down Ruby's face. She tried to wipe them away, but more came in their place.

"You're not supposed to actually go." Ruby held his hand. It had already lost its warmth. Something inside Ruby snapped.

She screamed.

Autumn heard the girl's cries and ran towards her. When she arrived at the scene, a bloodstained uncle and niece awaited her. Ruby was holding Qrow's weapon tightly as if the act would bring her uncle back to life.

When Ruby saw her savior there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Autumn, you can heal him, right?" Ruby wanted to cling to any chance of keeping her uncle alive.

Autumn turned away. From the looks of it, Qrow was already dead. "I can perform miracles for the living, but I cannot do anything for the dead."

"Autumn please." begged the girl. "Save my uncle!"

Autumn only looked at the girl with sympathy. "I'm sorry."

Ruby grabbed handfuls of Autumn's cloak. She was trembling badly. "Autumn, I'm begging you. Don't let him die."

Autumn embraced the crying girl. "I'm sorry Ruby. There isn't anything I can do here."

Ruby sobbed into the woman's shoulder. Autumn used her ability to cover Qrow's body in earth. She also shaped the figure of a crow to stand as a figurehead of the grave. When she was done, Autumn picked the girl up and took her back into the cave and up the rocky staircase. They were able to survive, but at what cost?

Qrow opened his eyes. He was sure that he was stabbed through the heart, yet there he was with his body unharmed. He wasn't in the Abyss anymore either. He was standing on a cliff at the edge of a forest overlooking a setting sun. From what he could tell, he was alone.

"Seems like you crowed for the last time."

"Oh yeah? Says who?" Qrow hadn't noticed a woman dressed in a white cloak sitting on the cliff nearby.

"Says a Summer that past years ago." joked the woman.

Qrow's eyes widened at the statement, but quickly reverted back to his usual demeanor. "So I really did go to the other side." grunted Qrow. There was so much that he was looking forward to in life. But now all of that didn't matter. His life had come to an end.

"Well, at least you aren't here alone." consoled the woman. "Why not sit down and chat?"

Qrow smirked and took her offer. "I guess we have plenty to chat about. Don't we, Summer."

The woman smiled. "We sure do, you dusty old Qrow."

And so the two sat on the cliff, talking their lives away as they gazed at the eternal sunset.

-REWIND: One day after Ozpin found Ruby in the Abyss-

"Yang calm down, everything is going to be fine." Blake reassured as she watched the brawler fidget uncontrollably.

"How can I calm down?!" yelped Yang. "Ozpin is going to tell me my sister is dead!"

"Yang, Professor Ozpin simply asked us to come to his office." clarified Weiss. "He didn't say if he had good news or bad news." Weiss mindlessly rubbed fragment of the cape she had taken the night before.

"Either way, let's see what he has to say." pressed Blake. Team BWYR walked into the elevator leading into Ozpin's office. As they rode up the floors, all of them were nervous for what was to come. Was it good news? Was it bad news? The anticipation could kill a Grimm.

When the elevator finally settled and opened its doors. The trio of girls found the headmaster sitting at his desk with a cup of coffee in his hand. Professor Goodwitch stood beside him with her scroll in hand.

"Team BWYR, I'm glad that you could make it here today. We have something important to discuss." greeted Ozpin.

The girls sat down in chairs in front of the desk. The mechanical motion of the gears adding to their anxiety. This was it. Ozpin was going to tell them if Ruby was dead or alive.

The huntsman sensed their unease and got straight to the point. "I am here to inform you that Ms. Rose is, in fact, alive."

Everyone exhaled in relief. Yang leaned her head against Blake as tears of joy came down her face. Blake patted the blonde girl's head and smiled at the revelation. Weiss held her sliver of fabric and sigh.

Ozpin gave the group a moment to let the fact sink in. Yang was the first to speak. Wiping the tears away she pressed the headmaster. "Is my sister okay? How are her injuries? Where is she now? Is she all alone? Can I see her?"

Blake held the huntress in training to stop her bombardment of questions. Ozpin continued. "Now I can assure you that you sister is safe. Her injuries were grave, but she is currently with someone who can heal her. In terms of seeing her, I'm afraid that would be rather difficult. The Abyss is a dangerous place. To have one of my students down there willingly is more than I will allow."

"So what are we supposed to do? Wait for her to come up here herself?" demanded Yang.

"Precisely." nodded Ozpin

"How is she going to do that?! She's hurt and she is in no condition to fight. She doesn't have Crescent Rose with her. You said that the Abyss was dangerous, how could you just leave her down there?!" Yang wasn't having any of it. She wanted to see Ruby alive with her own eyes.

The professor tried to calm his student down. "Ms. Xiao Long, I assure you that your sister is in good hands. I have already said that she is with someone who has the capability to heal her wounds. Those of which we wouldn't be able to fix here at Beacon. Additionally, I can attest that their strength is far beyond my own."

Yang reluctantly accepted the words. "How long will that take?"

"I was told a few months." answered Ozpin.

"Months!? I have to wait MONTHS before I can meet my little sister!" roared Yang.

"Yang please, I know you are upset with this situation, but at least you know she's alive." reasoned Blake.

"But, what happens if she gets into trouble while she is down there?" worried Yang.

"She'll be fine, Professor Ozpin already said that the person looking over Ruby is stronger than he is. I'm sure that she is going to be fine." comforted Blake. "Now, we should get going." Blake helped Yang stand as they bid the headmaster farewell.

During lunch that day. Team BWYR sat next to team JNPR. As they ate, Blake filled in the other team about Ruby's whereabouts. "That's great to hear." cheered Pyrrha.

"When is she coming back?" asked Jaune. Ruby was the first friend he had made at Beacon and Jaune was somewhat eager to see her again. He was also there when Ruby was hurt by the Nevermore. It pained him to witness as he could do nothing to save her.

"Ozpin said we had to wait months." grumbled Yang as she stuffed her mouth with another spoonful of food. "I don't think I can wait that long."

"You'll figure something out." spoke Pyrrha. "She'll be here before you know it."

At a nearby table, the two teams could hear a rough laughter. The two teams turned to see what was going on. At the table, Cardin and his team were picking on another new team that was nearly half their size. Cardin had flipped the trays of the other team, making their food spill everywhere. Team CRDL laughed as the four other students tried to wipe the content off their faces.

"Come on, let's go." muttered a black haired boy, that was their team leader. "We don't have time to mess around with these dorks."

"Oh, look at you trying to be a man." teased Cardin. Then he saw one of the members. She was a smaller girl with shoulder length blonde hair and glasses. Besides these points, the girl bore a striking resemblance to Ruby. When Cardin made eye contact she yelped.

"Hey you, why don't you have out with us for a little bit." offered Cardin. "I'm sure we can have some fun."

The team leader spoke again. "She isn't interested in spending time with bullies." He nodded his head signaling her to leave. She quickly ran off with the two other groupmates. This left the single boy against team CRDL.

"Way to ruin my fun." grumbled Cardin. "Answer me a question. How in the world did a little kid like her get into Beacon? I mean, you barely look old enough. Your team is full of what, fifteen year olds? Go back to preschool."

Yang crushed her steel spoon with her bare hands. Her groupmates looked worryingly at their comrade. Yang's eyes were fiery crimson and she looked like she ready to start a fight. Yang got up to confront Cardin when Blake tugged on her sleeve.

"Yang, calm down." soothed Blake. "He isn't worth your time."

Yang looked as her partner and smiled. "Don't worry, I got this." The brawler freed herself from Blake's grasp and walked over to the group of bullies. Team CRDL had taken to laughing at the boy as they threw more food at him. Cardin was about to throw a watermelon when someone snatched it out of his hands.

"Leave him alone."

Cardin saw an angry Yang tossing the melon aside with ease. "Do you have some business with me?" threatened Cardin.

"Yeah, I do." answered Yang. "You crossed the line." This person dared to bully other people. Not just people, but girls. Not just girls, but ones that looked quite similar to her absent little sister. Yang imagined the other girl as her sister. No one bullies Yang's little sister.

"We were only playing with him. It's not like we want to hurt him." defended Cardin not knowing Yang's intention and assuming it was for beating up the other team leader.

"Too bad, because I want to hurt you." growled Yang.

"A fighter, are you?" halted Cardin. "Okay, I'll take you on. Let's go to the practice arena." Cardin left the boy and headed out the door. Yang followed his lead. People who were watching nearby trailed behind the pair. It was going to be the first fight of the semester and they wanted to see it.

The two students got changed into their combat costumes. The equipped themselves with their weapons and got into the arena. Their teams sat on the stands to watch. Plenty of other students were there as well, and more were streaming in as the fight was gearing up.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" inquired Cardin. He was totally fine with sparring against girls, he just didn't like the trash talk about beating up a girl that came with it.

"Let's get this show on the road." Yang locked and loaded her Ember Celica. She held her fists up in a boxer stance.

Cardin shrugged and raised his mace. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He charged the girl with his weapon raised in the air. He aimed to finish this with a large blow to Yang's head. Even if she could shield the blow with her aura, the power of the strike would probably knock the girl unconscious.

Yang waited as Cardin started his swing. Just as the mace hit Yang, she sidestepped around it and threw a fist hard at Cardin's knee. The strike did little damage as Cardin had his aura up, but the hit was heavy and forced Cardin to drop down on one knee.

"She went for the legs!" cheered Nora. "BREAK HIS LEGS YANG!"

"Nora, sit down." demanded Ren. "You'll break Yang's concentration." Nora complied and sat down, though she kept cheering for her friend to continue the leg breaking.

"For a tough guy, you sure get on your knees pretty quickly." taunted Yang. "I didn't expect you to fall so easily. It must be all the muscle. Didn't leave enough room for a brain."

Cardin growled as he got up swinging his mace. Yang easily backed up out of reach. Cardin violently swung at Yang, but to no avail.

After another heavy do stroke, Yang rushed into Cardin's guard and gave him an uppercut. The fist lifted Cardin up into the air. Yang pulled back and smacked him back to earth.

The arena cracked under the pressure. Cardin's aura was effectively broken. Yang raised another fist as if to finish him.

"That's enough."

Yang stopped. Everyone turned to see a very displeased Professor Goodwitch standing at the edge of the arena. At the sight of the professor, many students scattered before anything could happen. All that was left were team BWYR and CRDL.

"Honestly, if you want to spar with one another, I suggest you have a supervised match." huffed Goodwitch. "If I catch either of you starting a fight unsupervised again, there will be severe consequences."

Both teams nodded. The rest of team CRDL went and helped their team leader.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time. Now hurry along to class." With that, the arena was completely emptied.

-Some weeks later-

During the weeks, Yang was obviously distracted. Every now and then she would glance at the clock or look at her calendar. Painstakingly watching time go by.

It was in the middle of the night when Yang cried out. "Ruby!"

Blake turned to face her partner. Yang looked genuinely afraid. Sweat beaded her face, her body was trembling, and she was breathing heavily.

"Same dream?" guessed Blake. Yang had been having this recurring dream for the past month now. It featured Yang watching Ruby falling into the Abyss. The girl trying to save her sister from her doom, but unable to do so. Just as her sister disappeared, Yang could hear her saying. " _Why didn't you save me?_ "

Yang shook her head. "No, this one was different."

"Oh really?" Blake pressed for more detail.

"For the most part, it was the same. Except at the end when Ruby disappears I remember turning around and seeing Ruby. She was there. And she looked at me. She said ' _How could you leave me?_ ' I told her I was sorry, but she wouldn't accept my apologies. She took out Crescent Rose and said. ' _You put me through hell. Let me it to you._ ' I couldn't move. And then she-" Yang didn't finish.

Blake got out of bed and placed her arms around Yang drawing her in for a hug. ""Don't worry, she won't try to hurt you. If she does, then I'll be there to protect you."

"Aww, thanks Blakey." snuggled Yang. "You sure know what to say."

"Well, I had practice." teased Blake. "Now get back to sleep. You need the rest." Blake pulled away, ready to return to sleep once more.

Yang grabbed Blake's arm. "Wait don't go." Blake stopped and looked at Yang. "Sleep with me, please." Yang begged for some more comfort.

Blake rolled her eyes, but agreed. "Just this once." Blake got back into the bed and watched the blonde embrace her like a body pillow. Blake took to stroking the brawler's hair as they slowly went back to sleep.

-Day after Qrow's passing-

Professor Ozpin had asked that team BWYR to come to his office immediately. When word was sent, Yang bolted for the elevator. She had waited all this time, and now her sister was finally here.

Blake and Weiss ran hard to keep up with the blonde. After an unbearable moment in the elevator, the three tumbled out to see a young girl dressed in red stand in front of Ozpin desk.

"Ruby!" Yang gave the girl a giant bear hug, but instead of the usual frantic struggling, she was greeted coldly. "Hi Yang."

Yang pulled her sister away from her. "Ruby, I-" Yang went stiff. The scars on Ruby's face were still apparent. Yang took her hand and ran it down the scars. Ruby had her eyes closed so Yang could go over every slash. As she went over the last one, Yang clenched her fist tightly and growled. "Who did this to you?" Yang's eyes blazed red. She was furious. Someone had dared mark her poor sister's beautiful face. Someone needed to forfeit their life.

Ruby took Yang's hand and squeezed. "Yang, is was just a Beowolf. I'm okay."

Usually that didn't work, but Yang noticed something odd about Ruby's touch. Her hand was cold. Yang looked at her sister and found something even more disturbing. Something she didn't think she would see besides in her dreams.

Her eyes were lifeless.

Yang switched into big sister mode. "Ruby, what's wrong? What happened?"

Ruby lowered her head and mumbled something incomprehensible. She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

Not hearing what her sister was saying, Yang lifted Ruby's chin. "Ruby, look at me."

Tears stained Ruby's face. "S-sis, Uncle Qrow... H-He's"

"Ruby what are you trying to say? What about Uncle Qrow?" asked Yang.

"I believe I can fill in the details." offered headmaster Ozpin. Everyone in the room waited for the explanation. "You see, your uncle was on a mission that took a rather dark turn. In the end, well, he met his untimely end."

"Oh Ruby," Yang pulled Ruby back in for a hug. "At least you're fine."

"I guess." mumbled Ruby.

"Well, now that the four of you are here, allow me to congratulate you on finally becoming an official team here at Beacon Academy." spoke Ozpin. "I'm sure you have plenty to talk about, so why not spend some time celebrating this reunion of sorts. You are free to go."

So the complete Team BWYR set off. Ozpin watched the girls head down the elevator.

"What are we going to do now?"

Autumn stepped out of the shadows. She had watched the little reunion. It was sweet, but the fact remained that Qrow was gone.

"For huntsmen, death is a common thing. However, Qrow's death shows up just how dangerous the opposition will be in the future." Ozpin took a sip from his ever present mug.

"I'm sure we can handle whatever they can throw at us." put in Autumn confidently.

"I hope so too."

Team BWYR decided to skip classes to spend time celebrating Ruby's arrival. JNPR had joined in on the fun after they finished all their classes. During the party, no one noticed that Weiss was quietly avoiding Ruby, since Yang had completely smothered the girl in affection. Luckily, Blake had made sure that Yang didn't go overboard. The group partied long into the night. At some point team JNPR called it a night and went back to their dorm. The four girls also decided to turn in for the day and get some rest.

Ruby opened her eyes. It was in the middle of the night and no one else was awake. Ruby looked at her side where her sister was cuddling with Blake. "I won't ever let you go Rubes." mumbled Yang in her sleep.

"Don't squeeze her to death, Yang." cautioned Blake in response.

"Don't worry Blakey, I wouldn't do anything to hurt my sister~" sang Yang happily.

"Of course, now get some sleep." mumbled Blake.

Ruby giggled to herself as she watched her sister share a dream with Blake. Then she stopped giggling when she realized that the two were still asleep, but could carry out a conversation.

Disregarding the thought, she walked out of the room without a sound. She decided to walk out to the school's courtyard. The cold air was refreshing to her face, but she still wrapped her cape around her tighter. She was currently in her nightwear, save the cape she put on out of habit.

"It seems like you are a bit troubled Ms. Rose."

Ruby jumped at the sudden statement. "Oh, hi professor Ozpin." greeted Ruby duly. The headmaster stood by the girl with some coffee steaming from his mug.

"It must have been hard to lose someone so close to you." intoned the headmaster. "Are you doing well?"

"I guess." shrugged Ruby. "There's just been a lot on my mind lately."

"I think there is someone else with plenty on their mind as well." Ozpin gestured to the end of the open courtyard. There, Weiss was standing in front of the fountain. She was currently rehearsing what she would say to Ruby, when she built up the courage.

Ruby watched as Weiss constantly went over her word choice. Constantly fixing her posture and tone every run through.

"So, I'm sorry for what happened. If I had been more focused, none of this would ever happen." practiced Weiss. "No no no, that won't do. I sound like an idiot."

"It's okay Weiss, I forgive you." Weiss jerked her head towards Ruby.

All the prepared words were thrown out the window. "Uwa...H-Hey Ruby...umm...uhh...about what happened..."

"Hey, Weiss." cut off Ruby

"Yeah?" Weiss watched as Ruby moved past her.

Turning around the hooded girl asked "Walk with me for a bit."

The two students walked into the main building and into the practice arena. Ruby was able to navigate this far because she toured the academy multiple times when she was younger. They got inside the building. Ruby opened her locker and got out Crescent Rose. Weiss followed suit and pulled out Myrtenaster.

Weiss wasn't sure what Ruby was planning. Was it a match to vent out her anger? Was it to test Weiss' strength? What was Ruby's next move? "Ruby, what exactly are we-?"

"Think you can make the shot?"

Weiss finally knew what Ruby was getting at. She was standing on Crescent Rose in its full scythe form. Across from her was a holographic Nevermore. Ruby loaded the next shot and looked at the virtual Grimm.

Weiss smirked and activated her semblance. A giant glyph lit up underneath Ruby. Weiss looked at the beast in front of her. 'I can do this.' With a quick glance at her partner Weiss called out.

"Of course I can."

 **Yay we got the crew all back together again! Thanks for reading this far, but sadly, this is where the story ends. Here's plenty of love to the JNPR crew as an apology.**

"So here is our room." declared Jaune as he confirmed with his hand drawn map for the fifth time. They had just finished the opening ceremony and they were ready to move into the dorms. The room they received was larger than the one team BWYR was staying in, so that the boys could sleep separately from the girls.

Jaune clarified on the sleeping arrangement. "Ren and I will take the two beds on the left, and you two will take the ones on the right."

"BUT I WANT TO SLEEP NEXT TO RENNY!" yelled out Nora. "I WILL NOT ACCEPT IT OTHERWISE!"

Ren sighed. "Nora behave, he is our new team leader."

"But what if I have a nightmare? Ren, you have to sleep next to me!" pouted the red head.

Pyrrha took a guess at their relationship. "Are you two, by any chance, together?"

Ren jerked his head towards Pyrrha at the suggestion. "No, we aren't together. Well, we're together, just not-"

"Together-together." finished Nora sheepishly.

Pyrrha looked at the pair when Ren mouthed out. 'We'll talk about it later.'

"Anyway, it will be me and Ren sleeping next to each other. If you want to sleep next to Ren, you're going to have to fight me for it." Nora gave a demonic grin as she cracked her knuckles.

"Now now, why don't we just have a simple game of rock-paper-scissors." suggested Jaune. 'I'll probably die if we did anything else...' Nora agreed and so it began. Jaune watched as Nora put on a death glare on him. "First to win will sleep next to Ren." explained Nora. Jaune closed his eyes.

He was planning on playing paper, but began doubting the choice. "Rock."

No, if he wanted to win he had to play paper. Nora was undoubtedly going to play rock. It was just her nature. "Paper."

But did Jaune actually want to win? What was so good about winning right now? This was just a mutual decision. Nothing valuable was at stake, so what reason was there to go all out?

"Scissors!"

Jaune had decided to play scissors. He thought that letting his teammate win might be the best for their situation. Opening his eyes he looked at what Nora chose.

It was rock.

Nora cheered as she hugged Ren. Having luckily lost, Jaune moved his stuff to the next bed over. "I hope you don't mind me next to you." apologized Jaune.

"Oh, it's fine." Pyrrha smiled with a slight blush on her face. She was hiding the alarms that were blaring loudly in her head. 'OMG HE'S GOING TO SLEEP NEXT TO ME!'

And so the four of them unpacked their things. Nora immediately flung her bedsheets off in order to replace them with pink ones. In fact, Nora was determined to change everything into some shade of pink. Ren followed after her to make sure she didn't cause any trouble.

Pyrrha put her things away neatly. She stashed away her school supplies away in her desk. Of course she also hid away her camera that she had gotten as a gift from her parents. 'Oh mom, thank you for giving me this treasure.'

After unpacking all their things, the hit the showers and went to bed. As Pyrrha walked out of the showers, she noticed that Jaune was missing from their room. "Do either of you know where Jaune went?"

"He left?! I bet he's trying to sneak into the cafeteria for a late night snack." hypothesized Nora.

"Nora, that's something you would do." corrected Ren. "I think he said that he would be out in the practice arena. Said he wanted to clear his thoughts."

"I'll go check up on him." offered Pyrrha.

"Okay, take your time~" cheered Nora. "It'll give the two of us more time for ourselves."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at Ren, who was mouthing out 'We will talk about it later.' Pyrrha accepted the answer and went in search for her team leader.

Pyrrha walked through the dark halls until she reached the arena. When she arrived, she found Jaune fighting holographic Grimm created by the school's advanced technology. As she watched the boy vent out his frustrations, she found that he wasn't moving his body well. He didn't put much weight behind his strikes and there was plenty of unnecessary movements.

After fight three Beowolves, Jaune plopped down on the floor exhausted. Pyrrha seized this opportunity to approach him. Luckily, she had brought her water bottle and a towel with her, because she thought he might need them. "Here," she offered.

"Oh, Pyrrha, thanks." Jaune accepted the bottle and chugged the cool liquid. After downing half the bottle he also took the towel Pyrrha offered, wiping the sweat off his face.

"You're out pretty late tonight." mentioned Pyrrha.

"I have a lot on my mind." explained Jaune.

"Care to share."

"It might take all night to share." warned Jaune. Pyrrha sat down next to him with a gentle smile. "I'm willing to listen."

"Well, I guess I should start off with my family..." And so Jaune spent hours explaining to Pyrrha everything that was on his mind. How his parents didn't have any expectations of him. Everyone else's achievements towering above him. All his life, he just wanted to be like the knights in shining armor that his father was, and his father before him. He wanted to be a hero, and no one believed him. He never received any formal training. He had to cheat and lie his way into Beacon.

"Which brings us to this morning. When I saw Ruby get hit by that Nevermore, it hit me just how serious it is to be a huntsman. I'm..." Jaune looked at his hands. There were soft and smooth, unlike the rough and calloused hands of a true huntsman. "I'm not good enough to be here. I mean, look at you. You're an amazing world renowned fighter, yet for some reason I'm the leader and not you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that..."

Pyrrha grabbed one of Jaune's hands. "Jaune listen to me. You're not some worthless guy who can't do anything. You're more than that." Jaune looked at her with a doubtful look. "When we were fighting in the forest, who lead the charge? It was you. Sure your swordsmanship might need some work and you haven't discovered your semblance, but those are things you can work on. And I'll help." Pyrrha got up and pressed some commands into her scroll. She planned on grabbing her weapons and immediately begin training Jaune.

However, Jaune held up a hand and halted her. "Wait, Pyrrha don't."

Pyrrha looked at her team leader a little hurt. "Jaune, I'm just trying to help."

"I know Pyrrha." recognized Jaune. "It's just that, it's gotten really late, and I think we should call it a day."

Pyrrha looked at the time. To her surprise, it was already 2:30 in the morning. "I guess you're right." the two grabbed all their things and headed back to the dorms side by side. When they got to the dorms, Ren and Nora had already fallen asleep. It was intriguing to see the two snuggling together, even though they claim to not be together. Pyrrha would definitely have that talk with Ren.

Pyrrha changed into something comfortable before pulling the sheets over her. As she laid in bed, she could hear Jaune crawl into the bed next to her.

Her heartbeat quickened and she almost dared to take a peek at her leader's sleeping face. Then she remembered the events that had just occurred. 'I held his hand.' Pyrrha felt the blood rush to her face as she silently squealed at the memory. Somehow, sleep found Pyrrha and team JNPR was silent.

Morning came and Ren opened his eyes. He had made it a habit to wake up at 6:00 in the morning. He turned to see his lifelong partner using his arm as a pillow.

Slowly, he freed himself from Nora's grasp and went on his daily run. When he came back, none of his team members were still not awake. 'Well, I guess I could go make breakfast.'

Ren opened up his duffle bag. Inside was all the ingredients needed for making pancakes. He quickly got to work on making the food. He went over to the nearby kitchen area and started cooking. The smell traveled out of the room and into the JNPR dorm room.

"Something smells good." moaned Jaune. He had caught whiff of Ren's cooking. Half awake, he got out of bed and headed towards the smell. Pyrrha noticed her partner leave his bed and the tantalizing fragrance. She followed after him.

When they found Ren, there were already several stacks of pancakes make and he was still going. He also made some eggs and bacon just in case.

"Ren, did you make all this?!" gasped Pyrrha. It was an astounding amount of food, and yet every last bit of it looked like it was cooked to perfection.

"I thought that I could whip up some food for us. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." noted Ren.

"Is all of this for us?!" hesitated Jaune. He thought that Ren was going slightly overboard with the quantity.

"Oh, most of these pancakes are for Nora." explained Ren. "Everyone else's meal is on the table." Jaune and Pyrrha walked over to the table where there was a hearty portion of pancakes, eggs, and bacon waiting for them. The helped themselves and immediately found themselves in heaven. "Mmmm, this is really good." blurted out Pyrrha.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Ren had just finished cooking and was carrying four stacks of pancakes that doubled the size of their stacks. Additionally, each stack was drenched in syrup. Ren cleared his throat and called softly. "Nora, pancakes."

A gust of wind blew through the room and Nora suddenly appeared. She was already devouring the first stack of pancakes. Surprisingly, Nora wasn't making a mess as she ate. Jaune and Pyrrha watched the girl lick the first plate clean and moved to the next.

Ren casually ate his own meal, unfazed by Nora's display of eating. Jaune and Pyrrha began to lose their appetite, but had luckily finished eating before Nora arrived. When Ren finished eating, he collected the empty plates and began cleaning them.

The rest of the team took turns taking their showers and they put on their uniforms.

"Oh Jaune, do you need help with your tie?" asked Pyrrha.

"No, I'm fine." responded Jaune. He was, in fact, not fine. No matter how many times he tried to learn how to tie the damn things, he could never do it right. Pyrrha gave Jaune a knowing look.

"Jaune."

"Okay, I admit I can't tie a tie. Pyrrha could you help me." Pyrrha smirked as helped Jaune fix his tie. 'Thank you mom for teaching me this seemingly pointless skill.' Pyrrha was so close to Jaune, that the boy blushed slightly.

When the adorable scene was over. Jaune realized that Nora was currently holding his nightwear. In other words, she was holding up his blue onesie.

"Nora, put that down!" demanded Jaune. The article of clothing was a gift from one of his sisters. He didn't want it to be damaged in any way.

"Aw, but it's so cute!" complemented Nora.

"Nora, do as Jaune says." sternly put in Ren. He was sitting at his desk and looking through the material they needed to learn.

"But Ren, it's an onesie." defended Nora. To be honest, the pair also had their own set of onesies, courtesy of Nora, but Ren's better judgment made Nora leave them at home.

"Nora." called out Ren.

"Fine. Way to ruin the party." pouted Nora. She set the clothing down and wandered around. She was curious to see what her teammates had brought with them from home.

"Thanks," sighed Jaune.

"Don't mention it." Ren said as he flipped to the next page in the textbook.

"Hey, Pyrrha what's that?" Nora had gone through Pyrrha's things and hadn't found anything really interesting. Except for a little stuffed toy.

"O-Oh this? I-It's nothing Nora." Pyrrha tried to play it off, but the truth was that the doll was her work in progress Jaune doll.

Nora noticed the striking resemblance the doll bore to her team leader. "But it kind of looks like miniature version of Jau-"

"What!? N-No, you're mistaken. They just happened to look alike." Pyrrha glanced over at Jaune who was currently busy putting away his onesie.

"Really, because it looks handmade? Are you sure you didn't make it your-"

"N-No, it's just a...a gift! Yes, a gift from home." It was the truth. Pyrrha received the plain doll from her parents, saying something along the lines of 'If you style this doll into the man you love, he will surely fall in your with you as well.'

"Nora, stop teasing Pyrrha." Ren had finished reading and was simply enjoying the amusing scene in front of him.

"Okay Ren~" Nora set down the doll back on Pyrrha's desk.

Pyrrha tucked the doll away into the desk and was relieved to see that Jaune hadn't even noticed anything at all. They four of them decided to relax and just sit around for the rest of the morning until they heard someone talking outside.

"Speaking of mornings, when's our first class?"

"Should be 9" checked Blake.

"What? Did you say 9 o'clock?" cried out Weiss.

"Umm,"

"It's 8:55, we have to go!" Weiss began to sprint down the hallway.

"Well, can't let the heiress leave us in her dust." Yang ran on after her.

Team JNPR looked out the door at the commotion that was going on. "Class?"

Ren sighed at his teammates crowding the doorway. He lightly shoved Pyrrha, who crashed into Nora and Jaune.

Jaune quickly picked himself up. "We're going to be late." The rest of the team dashed after their team leader.

They sprinted across the courtyard and into the main building of the academy. At some point through crossing many halls, team JNPR split from the other team and charged into their history class.

"Ah, you made it just in time. Sit down quickly and I will begin." the professor looked at his watch. When the second hand passed the minute mark, he began his lecture. It was at speeds that were nearly impossible to keep notes on. Except for Ren, who was more adapted to the high speed talk. His hand moved at speeds equal to the professor's mouth.

"Well, I guess we finished early, class dismissed." The professor zoomed out of class. Students began hesitatingly get up and leave as well. Team JNPR decided to head over to see how team BWRY was doing. After roaming through the halls for a while, they eventually found the class.

They quietly walked into the class when Weiss had just stabbed the Boarbatusk. Professor Port congratulated the girl. "Bravo, bravo! It appears that we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training."

Weiss yelled out "I know!"

The team watched as she stormed out of the lecture hall. "Umm, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant. Class dismissed." Students packed their things as they dispersed to their other classes.

"Sheesh, what's with her?" observed Jaune

A pair of girls around to see team JNPR.

"That outburst at the end was out of character." continued Jaune.

"Umm, what are you guys doing here?" inquired Blake. "You guys aren't a part of this class, right?"

Ren explained. "We came in, since their class was finished early. Professor, I mean, Dr. Oobleck is quite the fast talker."

"Yeah, even faster than me!" interjected Nora.

"Anyway, it seems like something is bothering her. You might want to talk to her about it." noted Pyrrha.

"I think Blake is already on it." Jaune pointed to the, now vacant, spot Blake was just sitting at.

"I hope things go well." smiled Nora.

"Well, we should probably get to our next class." wrapped up Pyrrha. "See you soon." The group left to their next classes.

The next few weeks had passed uneventfully. Until one morning when Ren was on his daily run. He was just about to start when he got a call from Jaune. "Hey Jaune, what's up?"

"It's Nora. She's-" Ren hung up. He bolted back the the dorm room. He knew what had happened.

It was her nightmare. One that plagued her ever since _that_ happened. Ever since a month ago, she began having the dream again, but she had yet to have any night terrors. However, Ren knew it was only a matter of time before it surfaced. Ren opened the door and walked inside.

It was just as he expected. The room was in chaos. Jaune and Pyrrha were hiding behind Jaune's bed, afraid that something might come flying in their direction. Nora, on the other hand, was huddled in the corner wrapped in a mass of blankets. Tears soaked up in the blanket as she looked around the room constantly muttering "Ren, where are you?"

"Oh thank Oum you're here!" whispered Jaune. "We woke up when we heard Nora screaming. When we tried to talk to her, she started throwing things at us. What should we do?"

"I'll handle this." Ren walked towards Nora. She flinched at the sudden approached. "Get away from me!" Nora flung a multitude of pillow at him. Ren effortlessly dodged the projectiles. He continued to get closer to the frightened girl. As he approached within an arm's reach, he grabbed her and carried her bridal style. "It's okay, I'm here." cooed Ren. Nora sniffled in response and put her arms around his neck.

"Sorry about that." apologized Ren "I'll take care of this. We'll talk about it during lunch, okay?"

"I'll leave it to you, Ren." accepted Jaune. "We'll clean up in here."

Ren carried the girl into the kitchen where he set her down on a chair. He filled a glass of water and handed it to her. She took the cup and sipped it carefully. Ren got out a chair and sat next to her. "Okay, now tell me about the dream." insisted Ren.

"It was in the middle of the night." started Nora.

"I'm sure it was in the middle of the day." changed Ren. This was how he helped her. Watering down the nightmare into a harmless dream. It was the only way Ren knew how to help Nora.

"They were so big. The Usri were the twice the size of the ones we saw in the forest." Nora held her arms apart to emphasize their figure.

"Nora, those must have been Beowolves." soothed Ren.

"There were dozens of them! They completely surrounded us!" trembled Nora.

"No Nora, I'm sure there was only two." calmed Ren.

"They were so fast. I saw you get hit. There was blood everywhere. When I went towards you, you were already..."Nora buried her face in her hands as she cried. Ren patted her shoulder, thinking of a way to alleviate her fears. "Nora, you and I are really strong, right?"

Nora nodded.

"Well, then those Grimm couldn't have beaten us. I bet we beat them real good. We probably even took their pelts and sold them as rugs. We probably got lots of lien. Boatloads full of the stuff." Ren spun this tale into a happy ending that Nora always like. "After that, I bet we celebrated with pancakes."

Nora lit up at the word pancakes. "Would you make me some?"

Ren smiled softly. "Of course,"

"Yay," Nora quietly leaned her head on Ren, forgetting she had a bad dream at all. Ren watched his friend slowly go back to sleep. He rested her head on the table and began making pancakes for her.

That day at lunch Nora began relaying the dream to the rest of her team. All the while, Ren continued to correct Nora. He knew that if she kept remembering the dream, things would only get worse. So it was best to correct her every time she described it. "So, there we were in the middle of the night."

"It was day." edited Ren.

"We were surrounded by Ursi."

"They were Beowolves." reminded Ren.

Nora slammed her hands down on the table. "Dozens of them!"

"Two of them," corrected Ren.

"But they were no match and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of lien selling Ursa skin rugs." smiled Nora at her somewhat accurate retelling of the story.

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." explained Ren.

"For a month?" gawked Jaune. Had they just slept through her screams? How did Ren even know about this?

"She's doesn't usually have night terrors, but they do happen from time to time." added Ren. "So there isn't not much to worry about."

"Nora, are you doing okay?" worried Pyrrha.

"Of course! Never been better." smiled Nora happily. "Why do you ask? Did something happen?"

"Oh no, just wanted to make sure." Pyrrha watched the girl to heartily eat the rest of her meal. It was hard to believe that someone that was this cheerful was screaming just a few hours ago. The group nearly finished eating when team BWYR came to sit down with them. Everything seemed fine, besides Yang who rested her head on the table.

"How has your day been." inquired Pyrrha.

"Somewhat eventful." replied Blake. "We went to Professor Ozpin and got some news on Ruby."

Jaune looked up at the mention of Ruby's name. "Really, what did you find out?"

"We learned that Ruby is alive." answered Weiss.

"That's great to hear." cheered Pyrrha.

"When is she coming back?" asked Jaune.

"Ozpin said we had to wait months." grumbled Yang as she stuffed her mouth with another spoonful of food. "I don't think I can wait that long."

"You'll figure something out." spoke Pyrrha. "She'll be here before you know it."

By then, the scene over at the nearby table unfolded. Team JNPR witnessed Yang approach the group of boys and leave for the sparring match. The had watched most of it in silence except the typical outburst.

"She went for the legs!" cheered Nora. "BREAK HIS LEGS YANG!"

"Nora, sit down." demanded Ren. "You'll break Yang's concentration." Nora complied and sat down, though she kept cheering for her friend to continue the leg breaking.

One day during class, Jaune received a message from Yang that Ruby had returned and that they would be partying.

Of course Jaune was excited, but classes came first. So the team spent their time half hearty listening to lectures and moved sluggishly through combat training.

When they finished their last class they rushed over to meet the missing girl.

"Hey there Ruby," greeted Jaune. "It's good to see- Oh my Oum what happened!" Jaune had noticed the scars that cut across Ruby's face.

"Oh, it was just a flesh wound. No big deal." casually said Ruby.

And so hilarity ensured and the eight people spent the rest of the day chatting about this and that along with eating abnormal amounts of food. "I think we should turn in for the night." suggested Ren. He carried a drowsy Nora into their dorm so she could sleep. Ren tucked Nora in when someone approached him from behind.

It was Pyrrha and she was looking for some answers. Jaune was also present, but Pyrrha was the one that wanted information. "So, Nora's asleep. Mind telling me what's going on between you two."

Ren sighed and summarized their life story. "Nora and I are childhood friends. We've known each other since we were young. Of course, we lived in a town no far from here."

"What's the name of the town?" asked Jaune. "Maybe I've heard of it."

"I would tell you, but the truth is that town doesn't exist anymore." confessed Ren. "A few years ago, Grimm invaded our homes. Both Nora and I saw our own parents die. After that, we could only rely on each other. We've been inseparable ever since."

"Wow, that was a dark story." murmured Pyrrha. She had no idea what it must have been like to go through something like that.

"Yeah, well at least our story gets better. We got into Beacon and our future has yet to be told." cheered Ren. "Now, why don't we get some sleep." Ren got changed into his night clothes and got into the covers next to Nora.

"Good night Ren." whispered Jaune. Honestly, he agreed with Ren. Things seemed to be looking on the brighter side. Ruby had just come back, Pyrrha was helping him become a better fighter, and he could finally feel some connection to Ren and Nora. All that was left was to keep moving forward and see what lies ahead.

 **Hahaha, my JNPR thing is actually longer than the chapter itself. Oh well, I want to thank all of you for following this story so far, but sadly all things must come to an end. Thanks for reading, I enjoyed writing. Happy days.**


End file.
